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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 116 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 help me carry this box?
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. drill — army training
  6. can — a tin
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. can — a tin
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rash — a series
  12. drill — a practice
  13. kick — in football
  14. cell — in biology
  15. snap — to click
  16. bulb — for light
  17. cell — a phone
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. rash — hasty
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. drill — the tool
  24. bulb — for light

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