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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 116 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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. pit — in a race
  4. row — to paddle
  5. snap — to click
  6. row — a line
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. saw — the tool
  10. ball — a dance
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. band — a ring
  17. ball — a great time
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. band — a music group
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. saw — the tool
  22. pit — a hole
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. row — a quarrel

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