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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. snap — to click
  11. content — the amount
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. present — there
  14. content — happy
  15. present — the time now
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. mark — a trace
  20. present — a gift
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. kick — in football
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. mark — a grade

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