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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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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: perch · fan · snap · cue · face · calf · rule · deal

  1. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. perch — for a bird
  2. snap — to click
  3. rule — government
  4. cue — a hint
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. cue — for pool
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. cue — a signal
  13. deal — to handle
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. rule — a law
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. perch — the fish
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. face — to point toward
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. face — to confront
  22. face — part of the head
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. calf — a young animal

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