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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. face — to point toward
  4. face — part of the head
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. face — to confront
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. foot — a measure
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. fine — high quality
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. land — a country
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. fine — all right
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. land — ground
  20. kick — in football
  21. land — to come down
  22. snap — to click
  23. kid — to tease
  24. fine — a penalty

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