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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. chip — in a computer
  3. swing — to play on
  4. kid — to tease
  5. last — final
  6. swing — in golf
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. swing — music
  9. wind — moving air
  10. pound — a weight
  11. march — the month
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. kid — child
  15. march — music
  16. chip — to eat
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. march — the month
  19. chip — for betting
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. last — finally
  24. pound — to hit hard

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