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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. court — of law
  3. kick — in football
  4. saw — the tool
  5. court — for sport
  6. snap — to click
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. mug — a cup
  11. rest — a break
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. stand — to bear
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. court — of a king
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. mug — a face
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. rest — what's left
  23. saw — the tool
  24. rest — what's left

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