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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · last · calf · hand · racket · mate · nail · season

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. mate — a friend
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. last — final
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. mate — a partner
  13. season — in sport
  14. season — of the year
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. hand — help
  18. last — to go on
  19. mate — to breed
  20. hand — in cards
  21. snap — to click
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. season — to add flavour

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