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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. kid — to tease
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. toast — a drink to someone
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. lean — thin
  8. rest — what's left
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. toast — bread
  13. rest — a break
  14. rest — what's left
  15. hand — in cards
  16. hand — help
  17. snap — to click
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. lean — to bend
  23. kid — child
  24. kick — in football

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