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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. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. ground — a position
  9. ground — crushed
  10. kid — child
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. pit — in a race
  15. kid — to tease
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. ground — the earth
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. pit — a hole
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. mine — for digging

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