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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. sharp — clever
  6. row — to paddle
  7. last — finally
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. last — to go on
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. charge — a price
  12. staff — employees
  13. last — final
  14. row — a line
  15. kid — child
  16. charge — in control
  17. charge — electricity
  18. kid — to tease
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. wind — moving air
  21. staff — a stick
  22. staff — employees
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. wind — moving air

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