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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. stock — shares
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. squash — to crush
  7. squash — the sport
  8. wind — moving air
  9. kid — child
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. wind — moving air
  12. rash — a series
  13. rash — hasty
  14. stock — goods
  15. kid — to tease
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. fall — to drop
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. fall — the season
  24. fall — to drop

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