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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 116 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: kick · snap · rush · racket · nail · content · march · stick

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rush — hurry
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. content — happy
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. kick — in football
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. snap — to click
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. march — the month
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. march — the month
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. march — music
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. content — the amount
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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