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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 120 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: kick · fall · pit · mate · snap · ground · can · foot

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. ground — the earth
  4. kick — in football
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. can — to be able to
  7. snap — to click
  8. fall — the season
  9. ground — a position
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. ground — crushed
  12. fall — to drop
  13. can — a tin
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. pit — in a race
  16. mate — to breed
  17. foot — a measure
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. fall — to drop
  21. can — a tin
  22. mate — a friend
  23. mate — a partner
  24. pit — a hole

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