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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  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. bat — the animal
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. lie — to recline
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. kid — child
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. wind — moving air
  14. kick — in football
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. wind — moving air
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. kid — to tease
  21. snap — to click
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. lie — an untruth
  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