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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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. calf — of the leg
  3. drill — the tool
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. drill — army training
  6. mug — a cup
  7. drill — a practice
  8. mug — a face
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. branch — a division
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bound — tied together
  13. pass — a permit
  14. mug — to rob
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. season — in sport
  17. season — of the year
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. snap — to click
  20. bound — obliged
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. bound — certain
  24. calf — a young animal

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