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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. kid — to tease
  5. bass — low music
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — the fruit
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. bass — the fish
  14. mine — for digging
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. kid — child
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. date — on the calendar

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