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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. march — music
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. snap — to click
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. dip — to sink
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. hand — in cards
  20. march — the month
  21. march — the month
  22. hand — help
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. hand — part of the body

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