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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: tear · march · ball · club · ruler · bay · cell · foot

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. tear — to rip
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. march — music
  7. ball — a great time
  8. foot — a measure
  9. tear — from crying
  10. ball — a dance
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. club — for golf
  13. march — the month
  14. tear — from crying
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. club — for dancing
  17. cell — in biology
  18. march — the month
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. cell — a phone
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. club — a group

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