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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
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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: kick · clip · stock · content · object · rash · snap · mug

  1. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. kick — in football
  3. object — an aim
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. mug — a cup
  6. mug — a face
  7. rash — a series
  8. content — happy
  9. object — to protest
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. object — a thing
  12. snap — to click
  13. rash — hasty
  14. content — the amount
  15. clip — for paper
  16. stock — goods
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. mug — to rob
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. clip — a video
  21. stock — shares
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. clip — to cut

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