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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 116 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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. snap — to click
  3. craft — a skill
  4. shower — rain
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. shower — to wash
  7. fork — in a road
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. lean — thin
  10. court — of a king
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. lean — to bend
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. court — of law
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. season — in sport
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. court — for sport
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. craft — boats
  22. season — of the year
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. mine — for digging

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