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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.

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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. wound — an injury
  4. band — a music group
  5. season — in sport
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. key — in music
  9. court — of a king
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. band — a ring
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. snap — to click
  15. kick — in football
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. key — the most important part
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. key — for a lock
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. wound — an injury
  22. dip — to sink
  23. court — of law
  24. court — for sport

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