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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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. spring — of water
  3. key — for a lock
  4. rule — a law
  5. key — in music
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. spring — a coil
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. rule — government
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. pound — a weight
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. lean — to bend
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. spring — the season
  21. key — the most important part
  22. lean — thin
  23. snap — to click
  24. fan — to cool the air

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