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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 120 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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  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 snap out of it
  2. club — for dancing
  3. bark — a dog's sound
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. club — a group
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. mate — a partner
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. squash — the sport
  10. can — a tin
  11. wind — moving air
  12. snap — to click
  13. chair — a leader
  14. club — for golf
  15. wind — moving air
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. squash — to crush
  18. can — a tin
  19. bark — to shout
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. can — to be able to
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. mate — to breed
  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