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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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. mouse — the animal
  3. drill — army training
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. bark — to shout
  6. snap — to click
  7. drill — the tool
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. land — a country
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. dip — to sink
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. drill — a practice
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. land — to come down
  24. land — ground

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