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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bulb — for light
  9. snap — to click
  10. ground — the earth
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. prune — to trim
  13. rule — government
  14. rule — a law
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. sharp — clever
  18. ground — a position
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. ground — crushed
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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