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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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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: stick · chair · snap · dip · mouse · fall · chest · calf

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. dip — to sink
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. snap — to click
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. chest — of your body
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. fall — to drop
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. fall — to drop
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. chest — a box
  20. fall — the season
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. chest — of your body
  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