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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 120 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: kid · ruler · bear · rash · present · racket · perch · file

  1. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. file — a line of people
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. bear — the animal
  8. file — a document
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. present — the time now
  11. kid — child
  12. file — a tool
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. present — there
  17. bear — the animal
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. rash — a series
  20. kid — to tease
  21. perch — the fish
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. present — a gift

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