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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. spring — of water
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. snap — to click
  5. rest — what's left
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. rest — what's left
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. spring — the season
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. rest — a break
  13. kick — in football
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. ball — a dance
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. spring — a coil
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. nail — for a hammer

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