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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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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: snap · safe · game · kick · mine · shower · lean · cap

  1. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. kick — in football
  3. safe — a strongbox
  4. cap — a hat
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. snap — to click
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. cap — of ice
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. lean — to bend
  11. mine — for digging
  12. game — wild animals
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. lean — thin
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. cap — a lid
  18. game — a match
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. shower — to wash
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. mine — an explosive

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