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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: snap · last · jam · wind · ground · club · kick · foot

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. kick — in football
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. wind — moving air
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. ground — the earth
  8. ground — crushed
  9. wind — moving air
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. snap — to click
  12. club — for dancing
  13. club — a group
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. last — final
  17. last — finally
  18. foot — a measure
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. last — to go on
  22. ground — a position
  23. club — for golf
  24. foot — part of the body

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