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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. rash — a series
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. file — a tool
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. file — a line of people
  14. rash — hasty
  15. snap — to click
  16. row — a line
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. wake — a trail
  20. row — to paddle
  21. file — a document
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. pitch — completely

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