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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 · trunk · snap · kick · game · rash · club · deal

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. club — for golf
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. game — wild animals
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. rash — a series
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. club — a group
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. game — a match
  19. rash — hasty
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. deal — to handle
  22. club — for dancing
  23. snap — to click
  24. kick — in football

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