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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  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. snap — to snap out of it
  2. kick — in football
  3. rest — what's left
  4. object — a thing
  5. march — music
  6. scale — in music
  7. stem — to come from
  8. scale — size or range
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. court — of a king
  11. object — to protest
  12. court — of law
  13. object — an aim
  14. march — the month
  15. court — for sport
  16. rest — what's left
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. rest — a break
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. march — the month
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. stem — of a plant
  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