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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 · nail · bass · kick · wind · date · chest · vault

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. wind — moving air
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. bass — the fish
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. chest — of your body
  11. wind — moving air
  12. date — the fruit
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. vault — a safe
  17. kick — in football
  18. snap — to click
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — a box
  23. bass — low music
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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