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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. kick — in football
  3. ball — a great time
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. face — part of the head
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. snap — to click
  9. march — the month
  10. march — the month
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. face — to point toward
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. march — music
  15. face — to confront
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. wake — a trail
  20. ball — a dance
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. kick — with a leg

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