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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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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: saw · roll · calf · chair · march · snap · chest · racket

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. saw — the tool
  3. snap — to click
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. saw — the tool
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. march — the month
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — a box
  12. roll — a cake
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. roll — a list
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. chair — a leader
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. chest — of your body
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. march — music
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — of the leg

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