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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. net — for catching
  3. lie — to recline
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. spell — a short time
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. ball — a great time
  10. wake — a trail
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. snap — to click
  15. spell — magic
  16. ball — a dance
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. net — after costs
  22. net — in sport
  23. spell — letters
  24. ball — a round shape

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