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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. mate — a friend
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. mate — to breed
  6. club — a group
  7. board — a committee
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. tube — the underground
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. club — for dancing
  14. board — to get on
  15. club — for golf
  16. perch — the fish
  17. snap — to click
  18. bat — the animal
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. tube — a container
  22. mate — a partner
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. board — a flat piece

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