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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: deal · snap · mark · kick · spring · cell · object · lie

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. object — to protest
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. kick — in football
  6. mark — a grade
  7. spring — of water
  8. deal — to handle
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. mark — a trace
  12. spring — the season
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. cell — in biology
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. object — a thing
  17. lie — to recline
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. object — an aim
  21. spring — a coil
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. cell — a phone
  24. kick — with a leg

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