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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. kid — child
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. mark — a trace
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. kid — to tease
  10. object — to protest
  11. hand — help
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. mark — a grade
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. last — to go on
  18. object — a thing
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. last — finally
  21. stock — goods
  22. last — final
  23. stock — shares
  24. hand — in cards

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