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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. pop — soda
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. drill — the tool
  5. snap — to click
  6. kick — in football
  7. pop — to visit
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. pop — music
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. drill — a practice
  18. wake — a trail
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. drill — army training
  21. fork — in a road
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. deal — a big deal

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