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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 120 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: cap · calf · bound · kid · last · rush · fine · rash

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. cap — a lid
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. fine — all right
  7. rush — hurry
  8. last — final
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. bound — certain
  11. fine — high quality
  12. last — finally
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. cap — a hat
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. cap — of ice
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. rash — a series
  20. kid — child
  21. bound — tied together
  22. last — to go on
  23. bound — obliged
  24. rash — hasty

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