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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. patient — calm and waiting
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. bound — certain
  5. can — a tin
  6. bound — obliged
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. saw — the tool
  12. can — to be able to
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. saw — the tool
  21. snap — to click
  22. kick — in football
  23. can — a tin
  24. bound — tied together

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