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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 120 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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. net — in sport
  3. mate — to breed
  4. mate — a friend
  5. capital — money
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. capital — a big letter
  9. snap — to click
  10. capital — a city
  11. can — a tin
  12. mate — a partner
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. can — to be able to
  15. net — for catching
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. wind — moving air
  20. net — after costs
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. wind — moving air
  24. can — a tin

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