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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. clip — for paper
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. rock — music
  5. kick — in football
  6. chair — a leader
  7. clip — to cut
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. fine — high quality
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. clip — a video
  14. kid — child
  15. rock — a stone
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. kid — to tease
  18. snap — to click
  19. fine — all right
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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