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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: chest · firm · kid · rock · race · calf

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. rock — a stone
  4. chest — of your body
  5. race — humankind
  6. firm — decided
  7. rock — music
  8. chest — of your body
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. firm — steady
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. firm — a company
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. race — the arms race
  15. race — a contest
  16. chest — a box
  17. kid — to tease
  18. kid — child

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