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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. object — an aim
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. saw — the tool
  6. snap — to click
  7. object — a thing
  8. ground — the earth
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. saw — the tool
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. ground — a position
  13. pitch — completely
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. object — to protest
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. branch — a division
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. ground — crushed
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. coach — a trainer

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