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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'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. court — of a king
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. craft — boats
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. court — for sport
  8. cold — an illness
  9. saw — the tool
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. court — of law
  12. saw — the tool
  13. cold — not warm
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. tube — a container
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. plane — a tool
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. craft — a skill
  24. calf — a young animal

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