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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. roll — a cake
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. pit — a hole
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. snap — to click
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pitch — completely
  12. spell — magic
  13. roll — a list
  14. spell — a short time
  15. pit — in a race
  16. squash — the sport
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. fine — all right
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. spell — letters
  22. squash — to crush
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. fine — high quality

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