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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. club — for dancing
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. club — a group
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. kid — to tease
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. field — farmland
  17. field — a subject
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. field — for sport
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. club — for golf
  23. kid — child
  24. jam — in traffic

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