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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. staff — employees
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. spell — a short time
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. spell — letters
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. date — the fruit
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. spell — magic
  12. shower — rain
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. staff — employees
  15. track — a song
  16. board — a committee
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. shower — to wash
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. track — to keep track
  21. staff — a stick
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. board — to get on
  24. track — a path

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