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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 116 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: leaves · stick · last · snap · rest · row · rock · kick

  1. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. rest — what's left
  3. rock — music
  4. last — finally
  5. rest — a break
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. last — final
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. row — to paddle
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. snap — to click
  13. row — a line
  14. kick — in football
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. rock — a stone
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. last — to go on
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. rest — what's left

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