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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. can — to be able to
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. roll — a cake
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. can — a tin
  8. mine — for digging
  9. roll — a list
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. last — finally
  14. lie — to recline
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. race — humankind
  17. shower — to wash
  18. shower — rain
  19. last — to go on
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. race — a contest
  23. last — final
  24. race — the arms race

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com