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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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. kid — to tease
  3. drill — a practice
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. kid — child
  6. drill — the tool
  7. firm — steady
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. firm — decided
  12. snap — to click
  13. firm — a company
  14. kick — in football
  15. mine — for digging
  16. stock — shares
  17. drill — army training
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. stock — goods
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. arm — part of the body

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