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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. track — to keep track
  3. mate — a partner
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. shower — rain
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. bat — the animal
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. track — a song
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. rash — a series
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. mate — to breed
  18. shower — to wash
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. track — a path
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. rash — hasty
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. mate — a friend

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