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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. kick — in football
  3. bass — the fish
  4. bat — the animal
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. land — a country
  10. land — to come down
  11. chip — for betting
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. snap — to click
  14. land — ground
  15. bass — low music
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. chip — to eat
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. kick — with a leg

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