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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 116 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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. scale — size or range
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. kid — to tease
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. ball — a great time
  17. ball — a dance
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. branch — a division
  21. scale — in music
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. kick — in football
  24. branch — of a tree

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