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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. court — of a king
  5. cap — a hat
  6. hand — help
  7. court — for sport
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. cap — a lid
  13. branch — a division
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. pitch — completely
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. hand — in cards
  18. cap — of ice
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. court — of law
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. snap — to click
  24. pitch — a sports field

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