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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. drill — army training
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. present — there
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. present — the time now
  7. game — a match
  8. drill — the tool
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. snap — to click
  11. drill — a practice
  12. present — a gift
  13. mark — a grade
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. game — wild animals
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. mark — to pay attention

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