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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: hide · key · rash · arm · kick · snap · bat · branch

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. bat — the animal
  3. snap — to click
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. key — for a lock
  11. key — the most important part
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. key — in music
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. rash — a series
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. branch — a division
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. rash — hasty

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