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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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. cell — a phone
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. mug — to rob
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. spring — a coil
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. mug — a cup
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. band — a music group
  14. deal — to handle
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. mug — a face
  19. cell — in biology
  20. spring — of water
  21. band — a ring
  22. spring — the season
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. coach — a trainer

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