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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. kick — in football
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. wound — an injury
  6. sharp — clever
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. fork — in a road
  10. snap — to click
  11. land — ground
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. deal — to handle
  14. land — to come down
  15. pass — a permit
  16. land — a country
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. wound — an injury
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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