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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. kid — to tease
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. saw — the tool
  12. saw — the tool
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. ground — the earth
  15. kick — in football
  16. ground — a position
  17. ground — crushed
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. snap — to click
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. kid — child
  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