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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. track — a path
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. rush — hurry
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. craft — a skill
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. squash — to crush
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. season — of the year
  16. season — in sport
  17. track — a song
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. squash — the sport
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. track — to keep track
  22. craft — boats
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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