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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. band — a ring
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. kick — in football
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. band — a music group
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. pound — a weight
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. land — to come down
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. kid — child
  15. land — ground
  16. game — wild animals
  17. land — a country
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. kid — to tease
  22. stand — to bear
  23. game — a match
  24. calf — a young animal

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