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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. ground — crushed
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. foot — a measure
  8. cue — a hint
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. kick — in football
  11. snap — to click
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. cue — for pool
  14. season — of the year
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. season — in sport
  17. band — a ring
  18. cue — a signal
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. band — a music group
  24. ground — the earth

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