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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. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. rule — government
  3. wound — an injury
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. board — a committee
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. kid — child
  9. game — a match
  10. file — a line of people
  11. season — of the year
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. file — a document
  14. rule — a law
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. file — a tool
  17. game — wild animals
  18. wound — an injury
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. season — in sport
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. board — to get on
  23. kid — to tease
  24. season — to add flavour

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