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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: kick · calf · march · toast · deal · craft · snap · clip

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. march — music
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. march — the month
  9. kick — in football
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. craft — a skill
  13. snap — to click
  14. clip — a video
  15. march — the month
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. toast — bread
  19. clip — for paper
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. craft — boats
  22. clip — to cut
  23. deal — to handle
  24. calf — of the leg

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