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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 116 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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. staff — a stick
  3. kid — child
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. rush — hurry
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. cold — not warm
  8. staff — employees
  9. snap — to click
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. rule — government
  13. fine — high quality
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. fine — all right
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. cold — an illness
  19. rule — a law
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. staff — employees
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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