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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: content · race · present · snap · temple · kick

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. snap — to click
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. present — there
  5. race — the arms race
  6. present — a gift
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. present — the time now
  9. content — the amount
  10. content — happy
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. kick — in football
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. race — a contest
  18. race — humankind

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