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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. cap — a lid
  3. land — ground
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. chest — of your body
  6. spell — magic
  7. cap — of ice
  8. land — a country
  9. land — to come down
  10. spell — letters
  11. cap — a hat
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. kid — to tease
  14. dip — to sink
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. chest — a box
  18. spell — a short time
  19. chest — of your body
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. kid — child
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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