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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. pop — to visit
  3. track — a song
  4. pop — soda
  5. spring — the season
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. sharp — clever
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. chip — to eat
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. spring — a coil
  14. wake — a trail
  15. chip — for betting
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. track — to keep track
  18. spring — of water
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. track — a path
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. pop — music
  23. snap — to click
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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