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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. mark — a grade
  5. fine — all right
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. rush — hurry
  11. bass — low music
  12. court — of law
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. mark — a trace
  15. court — for sport
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. snap — to click
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. bass — the fish
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. fine — high quality
  24. court — of a king

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