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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. mate — a friend
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. squash — the sport
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. wake — a trail
  11. mate — to breed
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. snap — to click
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. mate — a partner
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. deal — to handle
  24. squash — to crush

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