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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. mate — a friend
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. snap — to click
  11. swing — to play on
  12. stock — shares
  13. kick — in football
  14. sharp — clever
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. swing — music
  19. lie — to recline
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. swing — in golf
  22. stock — goods
  23. mate — a partner
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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