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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 120 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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. key — for a lock
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. kick — in football
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. hand — in cards
  10. key — the most important part
  11. key — in music
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. mate — a friend
  15. season — in sport
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. season — of the year
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. mate — a partner
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. mate — to breed
  24. hand — help

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