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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. snap — to click
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. can — a tin
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. object — a thing
  10. object — to protest
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. object — an aim
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. hand — help
  19. can — to be able to
  20. hand — in cards
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. can — a tin
  24. calf — a young animal

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