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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.

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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: bat · cold · calf · swing · snap · can · bulb · fine

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bulb — for light
  3. swing — in golf
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. swing — music
  6. swing — to play on
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. fine — high quality
  11. fine — all right
  12. bulb — for light
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. can — to be able to
  15. cold — not warm
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. snap — to click
  18. cold — an illness
  19. bat — the animal
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. can — a tin
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. can — a tin

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