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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. file — a tool
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. hand — help
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. bat — the animal
  7. spring — the season
  8. hand — in cards
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. current — electric
  13. file — a document
  14. spring — of water
  15. current — of water
  16. spring — a coil
  17. file — a line of people
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. current — happening now
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. calf — of the leg

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