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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. rule — a law
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. last — to go on
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. last — final
  12. lean — to bend
  13. craft — a skill
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. rule — government
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. lean — thin
  20. last — finally
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. rule — to rule out
  24. craft — boats

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