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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 116 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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. He works in a ________________ mill.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  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. ground — the earth
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. rock — a stone
  8. saw — the tool
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. plane — a tool
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. rock — music
  15. rule — a law
  16. saw — the tool
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. ground — a position
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. kid — child
  22. ground — crushed
  23. rule — government
  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