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

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. kid — child
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. wind — moving air
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. wind — moving air
  8. game — wild animals
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. mug — a cup
  11. mug — to rob
  12. can — a tin
  13. rash — a series
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. can — a tin
  16. game — a match
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. fork — in a road
  20. mug — a face
  21. can — to be able to
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. rash — hasty

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