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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 · ruler · ground · lie · object · wake · key · chip

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. key — the most important part
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. chip — to eat
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. chip — for betting
  8. ground — crushed
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. tear — from crying
  11. object — to protest
  12. tear — to rip
  13. tear — from crying
  14. lie — to recline
  15. object — an aim
  16. ground — a position
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. key — for a lock
  21. key — in music
  22. ground — the earth
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. wake — a trail

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