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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. spell — letters
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. spell — a short time
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. bank — for money
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. spell — magic
  12. pitch — completely
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. bank — for money
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. net — after costs
  17. net — in sport
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. bank — of a river
  21. deal — to handle
  22. net — for catching
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. bowl — a football final

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