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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. spring — of water
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. tear — from crying
  9. last — finally
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. spring — the season
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. tear — from crying
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. last — final
  20. tear — to rip
  21. spring — a coil
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. last — to go on
  24. cabinet — ministers

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