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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. net — after costs
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. hand — in cards
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. net — for catching
  8. mug — a cup
  9. bank — of a river
  10. bound — obliged
  11. kid — child
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bound — certain
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. snap — to click
  16. bank — for money
  17. hand — help
  18. bank — for money
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. kid — to tease
  21. mug — a face
  22. net — in sport
  23. mug — to rob
  24. kick — a thrill

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