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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. wound — an injury
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. track — a song
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. wound — an injury
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. spell — magic
  18. track — to keep track
  19. spell — letters
  20. track — a path
  21. spell — a short time
  22. snap — to click
  23. plane — a tool
  24. game — a match

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