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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. rest — a break
  3. pop — music
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. court — of law
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. kick — in football
  8. sharp — clever
  9. court — of a king
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. bark — to shout
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. snap — to click
  19. court — for sport
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. pop — to visit
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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