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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 116 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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. track — a song
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. club — for golf
  13. clip — a video
  14. rush — hurry
  15. track — to keep track
  16. snap — to click
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. club — for dancing
  19. track — a path
  20. clip — to cut
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. clip — for paper
  23. club — a group
  24. calf — a young animal

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