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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. bark — to shout
  4. court — for sport
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. snap — to click
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. mug — a face
  11. mug — a cup
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. court — of a king
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. band — a ring
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. band — a music group
  21. mug — to rob
  22. sharp — clever
  23. pitch — completely
  24. court — of law

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