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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 did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. spell — a short time
  3. charge — electricity
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. land — ground
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. land — a country
  8. land — to come down
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. wound — an injury
  12. spell — magic
  13. snap — to click
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. suit — clothes
  17. wound — an injury
  18. spell — letters
  19. charge — a price
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. suit — in cards
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. charge — in control
  24. suit — to fit

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