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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. march — the month
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. march — the month
  6. saw — the tool
  7. rush — hurry
  8. saw — the tool
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. club — for dancing
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. club — a group
  15. ball — a great time
  16. club — for golf
  17. march — music
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. sharp — clever
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. ball — a dance

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