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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 116 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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. drill — army training
  4. club — a group
  5. bulb — for light
  6. craft — boats
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. bulb — for light
  9. wind — moving air
  10. wind — moving air
  11. kick — in football
  12. pop — soda
  13. drill — a practice
  14. club — for dancing
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. pop — to visit
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. club — for golf
  20. drill — the tool
  21. pop — music
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. craft — a skill
  24. wind — to turn a key

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