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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: tear · fork · club · kick · jam · net · pit · snap

  1. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — to rip
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. net — after costs
  4. club — for golf
  5. kick — in football
  6. net — in sport
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. club — a group
  11. club — for dancing
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. pit — in a race
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. snap — to click
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. net — for catching
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. fork — in a road
  21. pit — a hole
  22. tear — from crying
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. tear — from crying

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