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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

Word bank: ruler · rush · sharp · straw · perch · rock · cold · lie

  1. The water is too ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. rush — hurry
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. cold — an illness
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. rock — a stone
  15. sharp — clever
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. lie — to recline
  19. perch — the fish
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. rock — music
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. rush — to hurry

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