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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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the button?
  19. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. ground — a position
  3. ground — the earth
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. kick — in football
  6. pit — a hole
  7. snap — to click
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. last — finally
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. ground — crushed
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. hand — help
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. hand — in cards
  18. press — to push
  19. press — newspapers
  20. pit — in a race
  21. last — to go on
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. last — final
  24. press — a publisher

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