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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. season — of the year
  3. object — an aim
  4. snap — to click
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. object — to protest
  8. staff — a stick
  9. court — of law
  10. land — a country
  11. land — to come down
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. season — in sport
  14. staff — employees
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. staff — employees
  18. object — a thing
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. land — ground
  21. court — of a king
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. court — for sport

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