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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. fine — high quality
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. prune — to trim
  9. prune — to trim
  10. date — the fruit
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. wake — a trail
  13. game — a match
  14. snap — to click
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. pitch — completely
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. game — wild animals
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. fine — all right
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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