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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 refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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. mug — a cup
  3. mug — to rob
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. object — a thing
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. rash — hasty
  10. file — a document
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. object — an aim
  14. file — a line of people
  15. object — to protest
  16. rash — a series
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. snap — to click
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. file — a tool
  24. mug — a face

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