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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. kid — child
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. cell — a phone
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. kid — to tease
  7. cell — in biology
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. cold — not warm
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. cold — an illness
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. wind — to turn a key

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