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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. kick — in football
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. last — to go on
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. scale — size or range
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. last — final
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. sharp — clever
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. scale — in music
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. last — finally
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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