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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. snap — to click
  7. pop — soda
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. pop — to visit
  13. game — a match
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. drill — a practice
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. fall — to drop
  19. game — wild animals
  20. fall — the season
  21. drill — the tool
  22. fall — to drop
  23. drill — army training
  24. game — a kind of play

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