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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: foot · net · spring · kick · cue · sharp · snap · hide

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. net — after costs
  4. cue — for pool
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. kick — in football
  7. spring — the season
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. net — for catching
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. sharp — clever
  14. snap — to click
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. cue — a signal
  21. foot — a measure
  22. spring — a coil
  23. net — in sport
  24. spring — of water

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