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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 120 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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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. bowl — a dish
  3. rash — hasty
  4. swing — to play on
  5. bore — to tire
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. firm — decided
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. swing — music
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. bore — to drill
  12. rash — a series
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. snap — to click
  17. swing — in golf
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. wake — a trail
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. firm — steady
  22. firm — a company
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. rash — on the skin

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