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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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. snap — to click
  4. foot — a measure
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. prune — to trim
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. kid — to tease
  9. track — a song
  10. foot — the bottom
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. track — a path
  17. prune — to trim
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. track — to keep track
  21. kid — child
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. kick — in football

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