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

  1. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. kick — in football
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. fine — high quality
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. foot — a measure
  10. kid — child
  11. snap — to click
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. fine — all right
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. kid — to tease

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