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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: shower · deal · temple · kid · calf · arm · straw · jam

  1. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. shower — to wash
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. kid — child
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. kid — to tease
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. shower — rain
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. deal — to handle
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. deal — a big deal

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