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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. club — for golf
  3. kid — to tease
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. club — a group
  7. present — a gift
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. cap — a hat
  10. saw — the tool
  11. snap — to click
  12. saw — the tool
  13. present — there
  14. cap — of ice
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. present — the time now
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. kid — child
  19. firm — decided
  20. firm — a company
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. cap — a lid
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. club — for dancing

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