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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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468
Word bank
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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. game — wild animals
  3. pit — a hole
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. snap — to click
  11. perch — the fish
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. pit — in a race
  14. fork — in a road
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. bass — low music
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. bass — the fish
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. game — a match
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. fork — a garden tool

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