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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.

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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 · stick · toast · squash · bank · hand · kick · lie

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. bank — for money
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. squash — to crush
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. snap — to click
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. toast — bread
  14. hand — help
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. lie — to recline
  17. bank — of a river
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. bank — for money
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. squash — the sport
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. hand — in cards

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