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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 120 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 have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. rush — hurry
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. chair — a leader
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. foot — a measure
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. land — a country
  10. tear — from crying
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. tear — to rip
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. kid — to tease
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. tear — from crying
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. land — to come down
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. land — ground
  24. kid — child

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