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

Word bank: calf · spell · snap · bat · arm · pit · drill · kick

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. spell — letters
  3. drill — army training
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. spell — magic
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. pit — a hole
  8. snap — to click
  9. kick — in football
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. spell — a short time
  12. bat — the animal
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. pit — in a race
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. drill — a practice
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. drill — the tool
  24. arm — part of the body

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