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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: press · kick · hide · rash · ball · mate · snap · bound

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. mate — a partner
  4. press — a publisher
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. ball — a dance
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. bound — obliged
  10. rash — hasty
  11. rash — a series
  12. mate — a friend
  13. snap — to click
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. press — newspapers
  17. bound — certain
  18. ball — a great time
  19. mate — to breed
  20. bound — tied together
  21. press — to push
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. kick — in football

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