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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. can — a tin
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. snap — to click
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. mate — a friend
  9. current — happening now
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. can — a tin
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. fork — in a road
  15. current — electric
  16. foot — a measure
  17. lie — to recline
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. current — of water
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. can — to be able to
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. kick — in football
  24. mate — to breed

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