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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: cold · kick · ruler · trunk · wind · suit · straw · cap

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. cap — of ice
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. wind — moving air
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. wind — moving air
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. suit — in cards
  15. cap — a lid
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. suit — clothes
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. kick — in football
  20. cap — a hat
  21. cold — not warm
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. cold — an illness
  24. kick — a thrill

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