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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. swing — in golf
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. kid — to tease
  6. pop — soda
  7. swing — to play on
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. land — ground
  10. kid — child
  11. land — a country
  12. staff — employees
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. pop — to visit
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. staff — a stick
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. swing — music
  19. band — a ring
  20. band — a music group
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. staff — employees
  23. land — to come down
  24. leaves — of a tree

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