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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. snap — to click
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. saw — the tool
  13. ground — crushed
  14. ground — the earth
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. cue — for pool
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. cue — a hint
  22. cue — a signal
  23. saw — the tool
  24. leaves — of a tree

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