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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: calf · bark · chip · row · pop · snap · mouse · bat

  1. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. pop — to visit
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bark — to shout
  5. pop — music
  6. snap — to click
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. pop — soda
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. chip — for betting
  15. chip — to eat
  16. row — to paddle
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. row — a line
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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