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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. Hold the papers together with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. snap — to click
  3. ground — the earth
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. ground — crushed
  7. deal — to handle
  8. bear — the animal
  9. ground — a position
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. pitch — completely
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. clip — a video
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. clip — to cut
  24. clip — for paper

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