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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. kick — in football
  4. shower — to wash
  5. pound — a weight
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. swing — in golf
  8. kid — child
  9. chest — of your body
  10. object — a thing
  11. object — to protest
  12. rash — a series
  13. chest — a box
  14. kid — to tease
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. shower — rain
  17. object — an aim
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. rash — hasty
  21. chest — of your body
  22. swing — to play on
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. swing — music

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