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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 116 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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. kid — to tease
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. capital — money
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. stem — to come from
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. kid — child
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. kick — in football
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. snap — to click
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. capital — a city
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. fan — a supporter

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