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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. kick — in football
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. pit — in a race
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. hand — in cards
  9. rash — a series
  10. perch — the fish
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. pit — a hole
  14. fork — in a road
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. hand — help
  21. deal — to handle
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. snap — to click

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