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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. cap — of ice
  5. snap — to click
  6. can — to be able to
  7. cap — a hat
  8. staff — employees
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. staff — employees
  11. row — to paddle
  12. can — a tin
  13. row — a line
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. staff — a stick
  20. cap — a lid
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. can — a tin
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. calf — of the leg

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