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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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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: ball · pop · snap · firm · kick · wind · sharp · content

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. firm — a company
  4. kick — in football
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. ball — a dance
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. wind — moving air
  9. pop — to visit
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. pop — soda
  12. firm — decided
  13. content — the amount
  14. ball — a great time
  15. pop — music
  16. content — happy
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. sharp — clever
  21. wind — moving air
  22. snap — to click
  23. firm — steady
  24. sharp — with an edge

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