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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: saw · land · ball · calf · snap · rule

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. saw — the tool
  3. snap — to click
  4. ball — a great time
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. ball — a dance
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — ground
  13. rule — government
  14. rule — a law
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. saw — the tool
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. 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