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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 116 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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. rock — a stone
  3. wind — moving air
  4. rock — music
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. plane — a tool
  8. net — after costs
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. wind — moving air
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. net — in sport
  17. net — for catching
  18. wave — a sudden rise

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