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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. snap — to click
  3. ground — crushed
  4. club — for golf
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. ball — a dance
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. ground — the earth
  12. ground — a position
  13. face — part of the head
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. face — to point toward
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. club — a group
  20. face — to confront
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. ball — a great time
  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