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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. file — a document
  5. squash — the sport
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. snap — to click
  8. hand — help
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. court — of a king
  12. court — of law
  13. file — a line of people
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. mine — for digging
  16. firm — steady
  17. court — for sport
  18. firm — decided
  19. firm — a company
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. squash — to crush
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. hand — in cards
  24. file — a tool

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