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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  2. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. pound — a weight
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. wound — an injury
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. dip — to sink
  13. mark — a trace
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. roll — a list
  21. mark — a grade
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. roll — a cake

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