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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. net — for catching
  7. bore — to tire
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. kick — in football
  10. net — in sport
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. bore — to drill
  14. field — farmland
  15. track — to keep track
  16. suit — clothes
  17. bore — gave birth
  18. suit — in cards
  19. net — after costs
  20. field — a subject
  21. suit — to fit
  22. field — for sport
  23. track — a song
  24. track — a path

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