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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: staff · game · season · present · calf · snap · perch · mine

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. mine — for digging
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. perch — the fish
  8. present — a gift
  9. season — of the year
  10. staff — employees
  11. game — a match
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. staff — employees
  14. season — in sport
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. present — there
  19. game — wild animals
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. present — the time now
  22. staff — a stick
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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