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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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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: mate · land · ruler · bat · row · toast · rash · shower

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. row — to paddle
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. toast — bread
  5. mate — a friend
  6. row — a line
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. mate — a partner
  9. shower — rain
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. land — to come down
  13. rash — a series
  14. bat — the animal
  15. shower — to wash
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. land — ground
  20. mate — to breed
  21. land — a country
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. rash — hasty

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