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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  23. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. ground — the earth
  3. ground — a position
  4. club — a group
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. shower — rain
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. club — for golf
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. ground — crushed
  14. kid — child
  15. vault — in gymnastics
  16. vault — a safe
  17. shower — to wash
  18. firm — a company
  19. firm — steady
  20. firm — decided
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. wax — to grow
  23. wax — for sculpting
  24. club — for dancing

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