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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 120 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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. can — to be able to
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. wound — an injury
  5. can — a tin
  6. spell — magic
  7. court — for sport
  8. can — a tin
  9. club — for golf
  10. spell — letters
  11. court — of a king
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. wound — past of 'wind'
  15. wound — an injury
  16. club — a group
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. club — for dancing
  20. spell — a short time
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. court — of law
  23. dip — to sink
  24. safe — out of danger

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