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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. kick — in football
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. saw — the tool
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. hand — in cards
  10. saw — the tool
  11. present — there
  12. bass — low music
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. fine — high quality
  17. game — a match
  18. bass — the fish
  19. present — a gift
  20. fine — all right
  21. snap — to click
  22. present — the time now
  23. game — wild animals
  24. hand — help

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