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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 120 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: mark · snap · mine · kick · squash · board · wake · pit

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. squash — the sport
  3. kick — in football
  4. wake — a trail
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. mark — a trace
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. snap — to click
  12. mine — for digging
  13. board — to get on
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. mark — a grade
  16. board — a committee
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. squash — to crush
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. pit — a hole
  24. pit — in a race

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