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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. charge — in control
  6. club — for dancing
  7. band — a music group
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. club — for golf
  11. charge — a price
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. race — the arms race
  16. charge — electricity
  17. wake — a trail
  18. band — a ring
  19. sharp — clever
  20. race — a contest
  21. club — a group
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. race — humankind
  24. kid — to tease

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