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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 · object · shower · bulb · chair · kick · dip · race

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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. race — a contest
  3. race — the arms race
  4. snap — to click
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. kick — in football
  9. shower — rain
  10. bulb — for light
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. object — an aim
  14. bulb — for light
  15. shower — to wash
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. object — to protest
  19. chair — a leader
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. race — humankind
  23. dip — to sink
  24. object — a thing

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