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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. shower — to wash
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. kid — child
  8. shower — rain
  9. land — a country
  10. snap — to click
  11. land — to come down
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. land — ground
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. march — music
  20. march — the month
  21. march — the month
  22. kid — to tease
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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