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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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. can — a tin
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. can — to be able to
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bore — to drill
  9. pop — music
  10. bore — to tire
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. wound — an injury
  14. snap — to click
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. bulb — for light
  18. pop — soda
  19. pop — to visit
  20. kick — in football
  21. wound — past of 'wind'
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. can — a tin
  24. bulb — for light

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