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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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. bulb — for light
  4. kick — in football
  5. land — ground
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. key — for a lock
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. key — in music
  11. key — the most important part
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. snap — to click
  21. land — a country
  22. branch — a division
  23. land — to come down
  24. bulb — for light

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