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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 120 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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. wake — a trail
  9. sharp — clever
  10. prune — to trim
  11. scale — in music
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — to recline
  16. scale — size or range
  17. press — to push
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. prune — to trim
  21. press — a publisher
  22. press — newspapers
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. ruler — for measuring

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