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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. chip — for betting
  4. snap — to click
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. ball — a dance
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. hand — help
  10. ball — a great time
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. hand — in cards
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. sharp — clever
  23. chip — to eat
  24. chip — in a computer

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