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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 giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. cue — a signal
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. race — humankind
  5. mate — a friend
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. current — of water
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. cue — a hint
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. mate — a partner
  13. mate — to breed
  14. kid — child
  15. current — happening now
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. cue — for pool
  18. race — a contest
  19. kid — to tease
  20. current — electric
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. race — the arms race
  24. calf — of the leg

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