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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 · chair · staff · calf · arm · pop · club · plane

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. pop — music
  4. staff — employees
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. staff — employees
  12. kid — to tease
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. plane — a tool
  16. club — for golf
  17. staff — a stick
  18. chair — a leader
  19. club — for dancing
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. club — a group
  22. kid — child
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. pop — to visit

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