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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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Word bank
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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: kid · bound · hide · spell · chair · calf · club · date

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. chair — a leader
  3. bound — tied together
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. date — the fruit
  6. spell — letters
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. spell — magic
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. spell — a short time
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. bound — obliged
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. club — for golf
  18. club — a group
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. kid — child
  21. bound — certain
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. kid — to tease

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