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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: ground · kick · track · perch · snap · date · mine · hand

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. hand — in cards
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. date — the fruit
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. perch — the fish
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. track — a song
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. track — a path
  14. track — to keep track
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. ground — the earth
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. hand — help
  19. ground — crushed
  20. snap — to click
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mine — for digging
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. ground — a position

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