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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. lean — to bend
  4. lean — thin
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. row — a line
  7. rest — what's left
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. rest — a break
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. lean — to rest against
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. row — to paddle
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. rush — hurry
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. rest — what's left
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. wound — an injury

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