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

Word bank: lie · kick · club · content · bat · snap · calf · game

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. kick — in football
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. lie — to recline
  6. content — the amount
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. club — for golf
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. club — a group
  13. content — happy
  14. club — for dancing
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. game — wild animals
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. game — a match
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. bat — the animal
  23. snap — to click
  24. 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