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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. shower — to wash
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. lean — to bend
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. lean — thin
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. kid — child
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. shower — rain
  21. chair — a leader
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. calf — a young animal

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