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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: deal · pit · calf · bound · shower · cold · ruler · file

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bound — obliged
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. shower — rain
  8. cold — not warm
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. file — a line of people
  12. bound — certain
  13. deal — to handle
  14. shower — to wash
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. pit — in a race
  18. cold — an illness
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. pit — a hole
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. file — a document
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. file — a 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