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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: pop · hand · rush · ruler · cell · roll · hide · stick

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. hand — help
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. roll — a list
  7. pop — soda
  8. pop — music
  9. rush — hurry
  10. cell — in biology
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. hand — in cards
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. cell — a phone
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. pop — to visit
  20. roll — a cake
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. roll — on a roll

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