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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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. mate — a friend
  3. shower — rain
  4. band — a music group
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. mate — to breed
  8. fine — high quality
  9. track — a song
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. mate — a partner
  12. band — a ring
  13. fine — all right
  14. track — to keep track
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. shower — to wash
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. date — the fruit
  21. snap — to click
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. track — a path

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