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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. ball — a dance
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. snap — to click
  5. chip — for betting
  6. rock — a stone
  7. sharp — clever
  8. cap — of ice
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. cap — a hat
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. ball — a great time
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. cap — a lid
  20. rock — music
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. chip — to eat

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