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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. land — to come down
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. land — a country
  6. hand — in cards
  7. hand — help
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. kid — to tease
  12. land — ground
  13. kid — child
  14. cold — an illness
  15. ball — a great time
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. date — the fruit
  19. ball — a dance
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. cold — not warm

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