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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. land — to come down
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. wind — moving air
  7. land — ground
  8. suit — to fit
  9. vault — a safe
  10. kid — child
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. wind — moving air
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. suit — in cards
  16. land — a country
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. deal — to handle
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. suit — clothes
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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