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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. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. land — to come down
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. rush — hurry
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. scale — in music
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. mate — to breed
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. mate — a friend
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. kid — to tease
  15. mate — a partner
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. scale — size or range
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. land — ground
  23. land — a country
  24. calf — a young animal

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