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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. chest — a box
  3. snap — to click
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. rush — hurry
  6. tube — a container
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. cap — a hat
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. court — for sport
  13. kick — in football
  14. chest — of your body
  15. tube — the underground
  16. cap — a lid
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. court — of a king
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. court — of law
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. cap — of ice
  23. chest — of your body
  24. rush — to hurry

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