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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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468
Word bank
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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'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. present — there
  5. net — in sport
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. kid — to tease
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. mine — for digging
  13. kid — child
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. net — for catching
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. snap — to click
  20. present — a gift
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. present — the time now
  23. net — after costs
  24. calf — a young animal

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