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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 have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. mark — a grade
  5. vault — a safe
  6. spell — magic
  7. rash — hasty
  8. snap — to click
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. tear — to rip
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. tear — from crying
  14. tear — from crying
  15. spell — a short time
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. spell — letters
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. mark — a trace
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. rash — a series
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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