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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. field — a subject
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. chair — a leader
  8. snap — to click
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. lie — to recline
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. kick — in football
  15. field — farmland
  16. field — for sport
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. perch — the fish
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. hand — help
  24. hand — in cards

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