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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. snap — to click
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. drill — the tool
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. wake — a trail
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. drill — a practice
  15. pop — to visit
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. pop — music
  18. drill — army training
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. nail — on a finger

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