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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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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: snap · present · lean · mine · track · last · wound · kick

  1. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  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. kick — in football
  2. wound — past of 'wind'
  3. lean — thin
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. lean — to bend
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. last — to go on
  9. present — the time now
  10. track — a song
  11. mine — for digging
  12. wound — an injury
  13. present — there
  14. present — a gift
  15. track — a path
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. wound — an injury
  18. last — finally
  19. last — final
  20. snap — to click
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. track — to keep track
  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