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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 116 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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. kid — child
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. kid — to tease
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. stock — goods
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. file — a line of people
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. file — a document
  17. file — a tool
  18. fine — high quality
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. stock — shares
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. ruler — for measuring

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