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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 always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  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. leaves — lets stay
  2. snap — to click
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. last — finally
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. game — wild animals
  9. last — final
  10. game — a match
  11. ball — a dance
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. pit — in a race
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. last — to go on
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. pit — a hole
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. ball — a great time
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. bark — to shout
  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