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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. prune — to trim
  7. rash — hasty
  8. prune — to trim
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. net — in sport
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. rash — a series
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. net — for catching
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. sharp — clever
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. net — after costs
  22. perch — the fish
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. prune — the fruit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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