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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: pit · cap · calf · snap · perch · cue · straw · kid

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. pit — in a race
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. pit — a hole
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. snap — to click
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. cap — of ice
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. kid — to tease
  11. cap — a lid
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. cue — for pool
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. perch — the fish
  18. cue — a signal
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. cue — a hint
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. kid — child

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