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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: mark · lash · pitcher · pass · kick · kid · snap · hand

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. lash — a whip stroke
  3. kid — to tease
  4. hand — in cards
  5. mark — a trace
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. hand — help
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. pass — a permit
  13. kick — in football
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. snap — to click
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. mark — a grade
  24. kid — child

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