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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. key — for a lock
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. mate — a friend
  5. drill — a practice
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. kick — in football
  8. mate — a partner
  9. content — happy
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. key — the most important part
  13. mark — a grade
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. content — the amount
  16. mark — a trace
  17. drill — army training
  18. snap — to click
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. drill — the tool
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. key — in music
  24. kick — with a leg

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