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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. date — the fruit
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. wind — moving air
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. net — for catching
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. net — in sport
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pound — a weight
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. kid — to tease
  19. net — after costs
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. kid — child

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