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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. last — final
  3. mug — to rob
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. mug — a face
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. last — to go on
  9. face — part of the head
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. snap — to click
  14. wake — a trail
  15. face — to point toward
  16. face — to confront
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. mug — a cup
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. last — finally
  24. perch — the fish

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