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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 116 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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. rash — hasty
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. chair — a leader
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. kid — child
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. drill — the tool
  10. rash — a series
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. key — in music
  14. drill — army training
  15. key — the most important part
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. key — for a lock
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. drill — a practice
  23. rush — hurry
  24. rush — to hurry

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