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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.

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: rash · cell · snap · saw · can · fan · lie · kick

  1. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. saw — the tool
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. snap — to click
  5. kick — in football
  6. cell — in biology
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. can — a tin
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. can — to be able to
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. rash — hasty
  17. can — a tin
  18. rash — a series
  19. saw — the tool
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. cell — a phone
  23. lie — to recline
  24. lie — an untruth

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