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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. face — part of the head
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. tube — a container
  6. bass — the fish
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. tube — the underground
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — in sport
  11. hand — in cards
  12. bass — low music
  13. snap — to click
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. face — to confront
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. season — of the year
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. face — to point toward
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. hand — help
  23. rush — hurry
  24. tube — in a tire

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