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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. kid — to tease
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. club — for dancing
  6. kid — child
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. club — for golf
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. board — a committee
  13. chair — a leader
  14. rush — hurry
  15. mate — a partner
  16. club — a group
  17. mate — a friend
  18. mine — for digging
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. mate — to breed
  22. board — a flat piece
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. board — to get on

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