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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 120 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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. bound — certain
  5. bound — obliged
  6. rest — a break
  7. land — ground
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. net — for catching
  10. net — in sport
  11. land — a country
  12. land — to come down
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. spring — the season
  15. bound — tied together
  16. rest — what's left
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. snap — to click
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. spring — of water
  21. spring — a coil
  22. net — after costs
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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