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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. pass — a permit
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. kid — child
  8. swing — in golf
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. squash — to crush
  12. object — an aim
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. object — a thing
  16. squash — the sport
  17. kid — to tease
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. swing — to play on
  20. pound — a weight
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. swing — music
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. nail — for a hammer

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