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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. deal — to handle
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. stem — to come from
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mate — a friend
  7. pop — to visit
  8. spell — magic
  9. rock — a stone
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. pop — soda
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. mate — a partner
  14. kid — to tease
  15. stem — a stem cell
  16. rock — music
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. spell — letters
  21. pop — music
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. spell — a short time
  24. deal — a big deal

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