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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — to drop
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. file — a line of people
  9. bat — the animal
  10. swing — music
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. fall — the season
  14. file — a tool
  15. swing — in golf
  16. file — a document
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. rush — hurry
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. fan — a supporter

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