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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — the fish
  2. dip — to sink
  3. land — a country
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. bound — obliged
  8. hand — help
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. hand — in cards
  12. land — to come down
  13. land — ground
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. row — to paddle
  18. row — a line
  19. bound — certain
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. bound — tied together

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