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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. snap — to click
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. ball — a great time
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. drill — the tool
  7. can — a tin
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. ball — a dance
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. tube — the underground
  13. tube — a container
  14. squash — to crush
  15. drill — a practice
  16. can — a tin
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. craft — boats
  19. craft — a skill
  20. can — to be able to
  21. squash — the sport
  22. drill — army training
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. craft — a handicraft

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