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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: calf · date · net · hand · snap · ball · land · nail

  1. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. snap — to click
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. net — after costs
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. land — a country
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. ball — a great time
  15. hand — help
  16. net — in sport
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. land — to come down
  19. net — for catching
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. ball — a dance
  23. land — ground
  24. date — the fruit

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