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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. game — wild animals
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. toast — bread
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. rock — a stone
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. rash — hasty
  12. pitch — completely
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. rash — a series
  21. snap — to click
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. game — a match
  24. pitch — a sports field

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