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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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Word bank
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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: mug · object · kid · cold · fan · ruler · last · ball

  1. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. cold — not warm
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. cold — an illness
  5. kid — to tease
  6. last — finally
  7. object — an aim
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. ball — a dance
  10. last — to go on
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. last — final
  14. mug — a face
  15. kid — child
  16. object — to protest
  17. mug — a cup
  18. mug — to rob
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. ball — a great time

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