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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. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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. jam — in traffic
  3. land — to come down
  4. suit — clothes
  5. snap — to click
  6. chair — a leader
  7. suit — to fit
  8. land — a country
  9. pop — soda
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. rush — hurry
  16. land — ground
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. suit — in cards
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. pop — music
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. pop — to visit
  24. rush — a thrill

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