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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: cue · ruler · ground · bay · leaves · land · wound · kid

  1. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — for measuring
  2. cue — a signal
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. ground — a position
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. land — ground
  7. land — to come down
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. cue — a hint
  10. cue — for pool
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. kid — to tease
  13. land — a country
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. wound — an injury
  18. ground — crushed
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wound — an injury
  22. kid — child
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. ground — the earth

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