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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: last · hand · kid · lean · rash · ruler · vault · file

  1. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to rest against
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. rash — hasty
  4. last — final
  5. rash — a series
  6. lean — to bend
  7. file — a tool
  8. last — to go on
  9. kid — child
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. vault — a safe
  14. kid — to tease
  15. hand — help
  16. file — a line of people
  17. hand — in cards
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. lean — thin
  20. file — a document
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. last — finally

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