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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. stand — to bear
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. wake — a trail
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. present — there
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. snap — to click
  10. cold — an illness
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. present — the time now
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. present — a gift
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. kid — child
  19. kid — to tease
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. cold — not warm
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. stand — for spectators

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