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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. ground — a position
  5. object — a thing
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. object — an aim
  9. spell — a short time
  10. spell — letters
  11. scale — size or range
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. ground — the earth
  16. ground — crushed
  17. craft — boats
  18. pound — a weight
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. scale — in music
  21. spell — magic
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. object — to protest
  24. craft — a skill

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