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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. suit — in cards
  4. land — to come down
  5. suit — to fit
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. land — ground
  11. shower — to wash
  12. shower — rain
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. kid — to tease
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. land — a country
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. suit — clothes
  24. ruler — for measuring

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