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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chest · wind · march · key · ruler · calf

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. wind — moving air
  3. key — the most important part
  4. march — the month
  5. chest — of your body
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. chest — a box
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. march — music
  10. chest — of your body
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. key — for a lock
  13. wind — moving air
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. key — in music
  16. march — the month
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. wind — to turn a key

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