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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. fall — the season
  4. wound — an injury
  5. bat — the animal
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. fall — to drop
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. rule — a law
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. lean — to bend
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. wound — an injury
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. rule — government

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