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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. pop — to visit
  4. straw — a straw man
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. pit — in a race
  8. row — a line
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. court — of law
  11. pop — soda
  12. court — for sport
  13. row — to paddle
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. pit — a hole
  16. mine — for digging
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. court — of a king
  21. pop — music
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. snap — to click

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