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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 120 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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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: pit · ball · march · mug · ruler · cold · wound · nail

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. mug — to rob
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. ball — a great time
  5. cold — an illness
  6. march — the month
  7. pit — a hole
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. mug — a face
  10. pit — in a race
  11. march — the month
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. wound — an injury
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. ball — a dance
  19. mug — a cup
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. wound — an injury
  22. march — music
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. cold — not warm

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