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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 120 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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. kid — child
  3. hand — help
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. club — a group
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. club — for dancing
  8. march — the month
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. march — music
  13. club — for golf
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. prune — to trim
  17. kid — to tease
  18. hand — in cards
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. march — the month
  21. prune — to trim
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. prune — the fruit

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