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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. clip — for paper
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. deal — to handle
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. clip — to cut
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. bound — certain
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. kid — to tease
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. current — of water
  13. kid — child
  14. current — happening now
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. kick — in football
  17. bound — tied together
  18. current — electric
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. clip — a video
  23. bound — obliged
  24. calf — of the leg

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