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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 116 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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. ground — a position
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mate — a friend
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. plane — a tool
  8. mate — a partner
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. ground — the earth
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. snap — to click
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. ground — crushed
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. kick — in football
  21. pass — a permit
  22. pound — a weight
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. pass — to spend time

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