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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. spring — of water
  4. drill — army training
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. spring — a coil
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. kid — to tease
  11. pop — soda
  12. rest — what's left
  13. pop — music
  14. spring — the season
  15. rest — what's left
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. pop — to visit
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. drill — the tool
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. kid — child
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. rest — a break

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