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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. can — to be able to
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. squash — the sport
  7. can — a tin
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. stem — to come from
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. snap — to click
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. can — a tin
  18. squash — to crush
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. cell — a phone
  22. cell — in biology
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. cabinet — ministers

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