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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 120 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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Word bank
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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: kick · snap · rash · last · mark · net

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. ________________ 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. rash — on the skin
  2. snap — to click
  3. rash — hasty
  4. mark — a trace
  5. rash — a series
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. kick — in football
  8. last — final
  9. last — finally
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. last — to go on
  13. net — after costs
  14. net — in sport
  15. net — for catching
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. mark — a grade
  18. 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