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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 · press · deal · kick · cell · spring · cap · spell

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. cap — of ice
  4. cell — a phone
  5. kick — in football
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. press — to push
  8. cap — a lid
  9. deal — to handle
  10. spring — a coil
  11. spring — of water
  12. spell — a short time
  13. cap — a hat
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. snap — to click
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. press — a publisher
  19. spell — letters
  20. spring — the season
  21. spell — magic
  22. cell — in biology
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. press — newspapers

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