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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 124 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. press — to push
  3. hand — in cards
  4. hand — help
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. kid — to tease
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bass — low music
  11. kid — child
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. press — newspapers
  16. chair — a leader
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. press — a publisher
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. bass — the fish

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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