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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. present — the time now
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. wake — a trail
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. present — there
  11. foot — a measure
  12. mug — a face
  13. hand — help
  14. pop — soda
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. snap — to click
  17. hand — in cards
  18. pop — music
  19. mug — a cup
  20. tube — a container
  21. present — a gift
  22. tube — the underground
  23. pop — to visit
  24. mug — to rob

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