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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. charge — electricity
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. wound — an injury
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. spell — letters
  9. chair — a leader
  10. stand — to bear
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. spell — a short time
  13. chair — to sit on
  14. spell — magic
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. pop — soda
  17. charge — in control
  18. kid — to tease
  19. kid — child
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. pop — to visit
  22. charge — a price
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. wound — an injury

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