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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: fan · ruler · fall · chip · stand · squash · fine · tear

  1. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. fine — all right
  3. fall — to drop
  4. squash — to crush
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. fine — high quality
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fall — the season
  12. tear — from crying
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. stand — to bear
  16. fall — to drop
  17. tear — from crying
  18. chip — to eat
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. tear — to rip
  23. squash — the sport
  24. chip — for betting

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