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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. spell — a short time
  3. bear — the animal
  4. object — a thing
  5. squash — the sport
  6. rash — a series
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. squash — to crush
  9. bear — the animal
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. rash — hasty
  14. scale — in music
  15. object — to protest
  16. object — an aim
  17. spell — letters
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. spell — magic
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. mine — for digging
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. scale — size or range

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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