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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 ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. staff — employees
  3. swing — in golf
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. swing — to play on
  11. band — a music group
  12. kid — child
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. stand — to bear
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. shower — rain
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. shower — to wash
  21. swing — music
  22. staff — a stick
  23. staff — employees
  24. band — a ring

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