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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  8. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. mate — to breed
  4. key — for a lock
  5. key — in music
  6. key — the most important part
  7. stem — of a plant
  8. press — newspapers
  9. press — a publisher
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. stem — to come from
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. snap — to click
  14. kick — in football
  15. mate — a friend
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. press — to push
  18. mate — a partner

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