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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 · dip · mine · race · wake · face · leaves · deal

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. race — humankind
  4. mine — for digging
  5. face — part of the head
  6. wake — a trail
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. face — to confront
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. deal — to handle
  16. race — a contest
  17. race — the arms race
  18. dip — to sink
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. face — to point toward

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