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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 116 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: squash · chip · snap · court · fall · lie · calf · sharp

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. fall — the season
  6. sharp — clever
  7. court — of law
  8. squash — to crush
  9. fall — to drop
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. squash — the sport
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. chip — to eat
  17. snap — to click
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. fall — to drop
  20. court — of a king
  21. court — for sport
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. lie — to recline
  24. chip — for betting

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