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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. The tickets are free of ________________.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. lean — thin
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. lean — to bend
  5. band — a music group
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. last — to go on
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. bound — obliged
  10. charge — electricity
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. bound — tied together
  15. last — final
  16. kid — to tease
  17. band — a ring
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. bound — certain
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. kid — child
  23. charge — in control
  24. last — finally

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