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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. snap — to click
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. can — a tin
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. season — of the year
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. present — the time now
  10. season — in sport
  11. present — there
  12. can — a tin
  13. present — a gift
  14. last — to go on
  15. last — finally
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. last — final
  18. fork — in a road

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