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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. mug — a cup
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. bass — low music
  5. bass — the fish
  6. wound — an injury
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. chip — in a computer
  9. snap — to click
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. tube — the underground
  14. chip — to eat
  15. mug — to rob
  16. mug — a face
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. wound — an injury
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. tube — a container
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. chip — for betting
  24. straw — a straw man

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