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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 120 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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. foot — a measure
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. court — of a king
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. spring — of water
  10. snap — to click
  11. drill — army training
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. season — in sport
  14. court — for sport
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. drill — the tool
  17. season — of the year
  18. spring — the season
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. drill — a practice
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. court — of law
  23. spring — a coil
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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