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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: ruler · rash · perch · cold · roll · kick · charge · fork

  1. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — in a road
  2. roll — a cake
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rash — hasty
  6. perch — the fish
  7. cold — not warm
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. cold — an illness
  11. charge — electricity
  12. charge — a price
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. roll — a list
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. kick — in football
  17. charge — in control
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. rash — a series
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. fork — a garden tool

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