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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 120 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: snap · bore · saw · fine · racket · swing · calf · scale

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. swing — in golf
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. snap — to click
  7. swing — to play on
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. saw — the tool
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. bore — to drill
  13. saw — the tool
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. bore — to tire
  17. swing — music
  18. fine — all right
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. scale — size or range
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. scale — in music
  24. fine — high quality

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