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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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Word bank
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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. rock — a stone
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. cold — an illness
  7. file — a document
  8. current — electric
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. cold — not warm
  11. current — happening now
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. current — of water
  17. rock — music
  18. kid — to tease
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. file — a line of people
  22. file — a tool
  23. kid — child
  24. cold — the Cold War

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