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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: hand · wound · suit · snap · land · fine · kid · kick

  1. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. suit — clothes
  3. hand — in cards
  4. kid — to tease
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. suit — in cards
  9. wound — an injury
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. land — to come down
  12. fine — all right
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. kid — child
  15. hand — help
  16. fine — high quality
  17. snap — to click
  18. kick — in football
  19. land — ground
  20. suit — to fit
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. wound — an injury
  23. land — a country
  24. fine — a penalty

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