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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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. fan — to cool the air
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. fork — in a road
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. chair — a professorship
  9. court — of a king
  10. deal — to handle
  11. snap — to click
  12. pass — a permit
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. squash — to crush
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. chair — a leader
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. court — of law
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. squash — the sport
  24. court — for sport

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