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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. When was this ________________ built?
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. shower — rain
  5. saw — the tool
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. saw — the tool
  9. kid — child
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. mark — a trace
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. mark — a grade
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. cap — a lid
  20. cap — a hat
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. shower — to wash
  24. cap — of ice

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