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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. stock — shares
  6. deal — to handle
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. tear — from crying
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. tear — to rip
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. stock — goods
  15. fork — in a road
  16. scale — size or range
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. tear — from crying
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. scale — in music

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