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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. snap — to click
  3. court — for sport
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. spring — the season
  7. court — of law
  8. fall — the season
  9. firm — steady
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. firm — a company
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. fall — to drop
  17. court — of a king
  18. firm — decided
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. deal — to handle
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. spring — of water
  23. spring — a coil
  24. fall — to drop

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