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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 124 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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. ball — a great time
  5. wound — an injury
  6. mate — to breed
  7. mate — a friend
  8. wound — an injury
  9. mate — a partner
  10. rest — what's left
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. hand — in cards
  13. season — in sport
  14. hand — help
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. snap — to click
  20. kick — in football
  21. ball — a dance
  22. rest — a break
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. rest — what's left

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