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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. mark — a grade
  3. last — final
  4. snap — to click
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. spring — of water
  7. cue — a hint
  8. net — in sport
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. cue — for pool
  11. spring — a coil
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. net — after costs
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. cue — a signal
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. last — finally
  18. last — to go on
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. spring — the season
  21. net — for catching
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. mark — a trace
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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