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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. ground — crushed
  3. lie — to recline
  4. ground — the earth
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. snap — to click
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. bulb — for light
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. ground — a position
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. field — for sport
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. bulb — for light
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — farmland
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. calf — of the leg

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