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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. march — the month
  4. kid — to tease
  5. march — the month
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. snap — to click
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. chip — for betting
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. ball — a great time
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. kid — child
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. ball — a dance
  18. board — a committee
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. chip — to eat
  22. board — to get on
  23. march — music
  24. rash — a series

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