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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: safe · kid · calf · land · hand · foot · drill · snap

  1. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. land — to come down
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. drill — the tool
  8. kid — child
  9. land — ground
  10. hand — in cards
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. hand — help
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. snap — to click
  16. land — a country
  17. drill — army training
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. drill — a practice
  22. kid — to tease
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. foot — part of the body

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