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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  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 click
  2. saw — the tool
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. saw — the tool
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. bat — the animal
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. court — of law
  12. ball — a dance
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. ball — a great time
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. court — of a king
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. rush — hurry
  23. bat — in an idiom
  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