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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. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — in control
  2. hand — in cards
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. snap — to click
  5. charge — electricity
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. charge — a price
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. kick — in football
  13. hand — help
  14. band — a ring
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. band — a music group
  17. plane — a tool
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. rush — hurry
  23. date — the fruit
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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