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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. hand — in cards
  6. hand — help
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. spell — magic
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. snap — to click
  17. spell — a short time
  18. pop — music
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. rush — hurry
  21. pop — soda
  22. pop — to visit
  23. spell — letters
  24. hand — part of the body

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