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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. chair — a leader
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. ground — the earth
  8. foot — a measure
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. ground — a position
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. ground — crushed
  16. degree — from a university
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. degree — temperature
  19. deal — to handle
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. degree — an amount
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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