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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. staff — a stick
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. can — a tin
  6. game — a match
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. can — to be able to
  9. mate — a friend
  10. game — wild animals
  11. snap — to click
  12. mate — to breed
  13. can — a tin
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. staff — employees
  16. file — a document
  17. mate — a partner
  18. staff — employees
  19. rock — music
  20. rock — a stone
  21. file — a line of people
  22. file — a tool
  23. game — a kind of play
  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