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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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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. mate — a friend
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. file — a document
  6. bat — the animal
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. mate — to breed
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. scale — size or range
  13. band — a music group
  14. scale — in music
  15. lean — thin
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. lean — to bend
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. kick — in football
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. file — a tool
  23. mate — a partner
  24. file — a line of people

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