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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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. cabinet — ministers
  3. mug — to rob
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. snap — to click
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. hand — in cards
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. mug — a face
  18. pit — a hole
  19. pit — in a race
  20. branch — a division
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. hand — help
  23. mug — a cup
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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