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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. fine — all right
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. mine — for digging
  9. swing — music
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. swing — to play on
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. kid — child
  21. fine — high quality
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. swing — in golf
  24. hide — to keep secret

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