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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. snap — to click
  3. fork — in a road
  4. kick — in football
  5. wind — moving air
  6. fine — high quality
  7. mate — a friend
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. fine — all right
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. last — to go on
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. mate — a partner
  15. mate — to breed
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. last — finally
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. wind — moving air
  22. last — final
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. fork — a garden tool

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