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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. snap — to click
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. mate — a partner
  7. hand — in cards
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. sharp — clever
  11. mate — to breed
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. mate — a friend
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. deal — to handle
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. deal — a big deal

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