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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  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. snap — to snap out of it
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. charge — electricity
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. spell — a short time
  6. spell — magic
  7. charge — in control
  8. track — to keep track
  9. court — for sport
  10. court — of law
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. kick — in football
  13. court — of a king
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. charge — a price
  16. snap — to click
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. track — a song
  19. fork — in a road
  20. spell — letters
  21. stand — to bear
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. track — a path
  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