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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. snap — to click
  3. cell — a phone
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. press — a publisher
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. cell — in biology
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. swing — music
  12. bulb — for light
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. press — to push
  17. swing — in golf
  18. bulb — for light
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. press — newspapers
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. swing — to play on

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