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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. season — in sport
  3. bulb — for light
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. snap — to click
  9. chest — of your body
  10. chest — a box
  11. land — ground
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. land — to come down
  14. land — a country
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. season — of the year
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bat — the animal
  20. bulb — for light
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. bat — for baseball

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