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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. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. key — for a lock
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. net — in sport
  8. snap — to click
  9. shower — to wash
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. key — the most important part
  12. scale — in music
  13. key — in music
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. scale — size or range
  17. net — after costs
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. shower — rain
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. net — for catching
  24. fan — to cool the air

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