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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. hand — in cards
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. ground — a position
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. snap — to click
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. band — a ring
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. band — a music group
  15. bear — the animal
  16. bat — the animal
  17. ground — the earth
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. ground — crushed
  21. bear — the animal
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. hand — help

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