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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 pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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. game — wild animals
  3. march — the month
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. march — music
  8. foot — a measure
  9. board — to get on
  10. snap — to click
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. perch — the fish
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. game — a match
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. board — a committee
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. march — the month
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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