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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  11. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. staff — employees
  3. field — for sport
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. wake — a trail
  10. clip — for paper
  11. squash — the sport
  12. staff — employees
  13. snap — to click
  14. rash — hasty
  15. field — a subject
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. clip — a video
  18. clip — to cut
  19. squash — to crush
  20. deal — to handle
  21. staff — a stick
  22. field — farmland
  23. rash — a series
  24. rash — on the skin

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