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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. season — of the year
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. spring — a coil
  6. club — a group
  7. spell — a short time
  8. mate — to breed
  9. mate — a friend
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. mate — a partner
  12. season — in sport
  13. spell — letters
  14. club — for golf
  15. dip — to sink
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. spring — the season
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. club — for dancing
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. spring — of water
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. spell — magic

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