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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 don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. club — for dancing
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. kid — to tease
  6. club — a group
  7. track — to keep track
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. tear — from crying
  10. can — a tin
  11. wind — moving air
  12. track — a path
  13. tear — from crying
  14. club — for golf
  15. wind — moving air
  16. tear — to rip
  17. can — a tin
  18. kid — child
  19. rock — a stone
  20. track — a song
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. can — to be able to
  24. rock — music

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