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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. rash — hasty
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. rash — a series
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. band — a ring
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. snap — to click
  10. can — to be able to
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. march — the month
  14. saw — the tool
  15. can — a tin
  16. band — a music group
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. saw — the tool
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. can — a tin
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. march — music
  23. march — the month
  24. temple — a place of worship

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