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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. kick — in football
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. spring — the season
  5. snap — to click
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. spring — a coil
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. kid — to tease
  10. toast — bread
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. kid — child
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. spring — of water
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. snap — to speak sharply

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