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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. land — to come down
  5. cap — a lid
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. kid — to tease
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. fall — to drop
  10. fall — the season
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. rash — a series
  13. rash — hasty
  14. fork — in a road
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. land — a country
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. fall — to drop
  21. cap — a hat
  22. cap — of ice
  23. land — ground
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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