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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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. rush — a thrill
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. rush — hurry
  8. drill — the tool
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. key — in music
  12. bulb — for light
  13. ball — a dance
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. snap — to click
  16. ball — a great time
  17. bulb — for light
  18. drill — a practice
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. key — the most important part
  21. kick — in football
  22. drill — army training
  23. key — for a lock
  24. deal — to handle

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