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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wound · calf · game · season · rule · snap · ground · lie

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. ground — the earth
  5. season — in sport
  6. wound — an injury
  7. ground — a position
  8. wound — an injury
  9. season — of the year
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. ground — crushed
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. game — wild animals
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. game — a match
  17. snap — to click
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. rule — a law
  20. rule — government
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. lie — to recline
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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