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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. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. firm — a company
  4. season — in sport
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. kid — child
  8. rash — hasty
  9. spring — of water
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. spring — the season
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. rash — a series
  17. spring — a coil
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. firm — steady
  20. kid — to tease
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. season — of the year
  23. firm — decided
  24. calf — of the leg

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