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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 116 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 get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. bank — of a river
  3. bound — obliged
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. bank — for money
  6. squash — to crush
  7. hand — help
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. kick — in football
  10. sharp — clever
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. hand — in cards
  13. fork — in a road
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. bound — tied together
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. bank — for money
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. bound — certain
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. snap — to click
  24. squash — the sport

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