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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 116 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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. lie — to recline
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. mark — a grade
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. cue — a hint
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. saw — the tool
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. cue — a signal
  17. hand — in cards
  18. saw — the tool
  19. cue — for pool
  20. mark — a trace
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. hand — help
  24. hand — part of the body

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