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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. kick — in football
  5. snap — to click
  6. shower — to wash
  7. court — of a king
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bat — the animal
  10. board — to get on
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. court — of law
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. shower — rain
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. court — for sport
  19. board — a committee
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. wind — moving air
  23. wind — moving air
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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