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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  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. staff — employees
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. face — to point toward
  7. staff — employees
  8. key — for a lock
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. kick — in football
  12. stem — to come from
  13. snap — to click
  14. face — to confront
  15. key — the most important part
  16. face — part of the head
  17. kid — child
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. kid — to tease
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. staff — a stick
  22. key — in music
  23. stem — of a plant
  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