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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 116 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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. kid — child
  3. object — an aim
  4. lean — thin
  5. object — a thing
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. chair — a leader
  9. spring — the season
  10. kid — to tease
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. spring — of water
  13. lie — to recline
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lean — to bend
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. spring — a coil
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. object — to protest
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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