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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. field — farmland
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. cap — a hat
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. cap — of ice
  8. last — final
  9. shower — to wash
  10. last — to go on
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. fine — high quality
  14. kid — to tease
  15. cap — a lid
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. safe — a strongbox
  18. fine — all right
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. shower — rain
  21. field — a subject
  22. last — finally
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. field — for sport

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