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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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. present — there
  4. clip — for paper
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. clip — a video
  7. rash — a series
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. net — for catching
  11. clip — to cut
  12. net — in sport
  13. present — the time now
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. snap — to click
  17. present — a gift
  18. kid — to tease
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. rash — hasty
  21. net — after costs
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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