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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. content — the amount
  5. swing — in golf
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. spring — the season
  11. content — happy
  12. swing — music
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. fall — to drop
  15. spring — of water
  16. spring — a coil
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. snap — to click
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. rush — hurry
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. fall — the season
  23. swing — to play on
  24. rush — a thrill

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