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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. root — of a plant
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. pop — to visit
  7. root — of a word
  8. root — the cause
  9. lash — an eyelash
  10. hand — in cards
  11. lash — a whip stroke
  12. mark — a grade
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. snap — to click
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. drill — army training
  18. mark — a trace
  19. drill — a practice
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. drill — the tool
  22. hand — help
  23. pop — music
  24. pop — soda

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