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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. court — of law
  6. march — the month
  7. track — a song
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. court — for sport
  11. march — music
  12. kick — in football
  13. track — to keep track
  14. rock — a stone
  15. club — a group
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. rock — music
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. club — for dancing
  20. track — a path
  21. club — for golf
  22. march — the month
  23. court — of a king
  24. hide — to keep secret

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