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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. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. hand — help
  4. cap — a lid
  5. cap — of ice
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. file — a tool
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. ball — a great time
  11. cap — a hat
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. file — a document
  14. file — a line of people
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. spring — the season
  18. spring — a coil
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. spring — of water
  21. hand — in cards
  22. ball — a dance
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. trunk — of a tree

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