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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 · pit · firm · straw · drill · squash · race · fall

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. fall — to drop
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. firm — steady
  6. squash — to crush
  7. drill — a practice
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. firm — decided
  10. drill — army training
  11. pit — in a race
  12. race — the arms race
  13. fall — to drop
  14. race — a contest
  15. pit — a hole
  16. squash — the sport
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. race — humankind
  20. drill — the tool
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. firm — a company
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. fall — the season

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