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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 people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. tube — the underground
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. cap — of ice
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. tube — a container
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. land — a country
  10. cap — a lid
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. land — ground
  17. kid — to tease
  18. cap — a hat
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. land — to come down
  22. kick — in football
  23. branch — a division
  24. kid — child

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