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

Word bank: ruler · lie · club · firm · pit · toast · roll · wound

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. roll — a list
  4. pit — in a race
  5. club — for dancing
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. wound — an injury
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. firm — a company
  11. wound — an injury
  12. club — for golf
  13. toast — bread
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. firm — decided
  16. lie — to recline
  17. pit — a hole
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. firm — steady
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. roll — a cake
  22. club — a group
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. ruler — a monarch

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