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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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. jam — a tight spot
  4. band — a ring
  5. tear — from crying
  6. net — for catching
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. mate — a friend
  11. net — after costs
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. tear — from crying
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. tear — to rip
  18. mate — to breed
  19. mate — a partner
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. net — in sport
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. band — a music group

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