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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. lean — thin
  5. club — a group
  6. club — for golf
  7. last — to go on
  8. kid — child
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. cue — a signal
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. cue — for pool
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. club — for dancing
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. rule — government
  19. cue — a hint
  20. last — finally
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. lean — to bend
  23. last — final
  24. rule — a law

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