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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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. snap — to speak sharply
  3. mug — a cup
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. rest — what's left
  7. rest — a break
  8. track — to keep track
  9. snap — to click
  10. wind — moving air
  11. mug — a face
  12. board — to get on
  13. track — a path
  14. board — a committee
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. wound — an injury
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. wind — moving air
  19. rest — what's left
  20. shower — rain
  21. wound — an injury
  22. track — a song
  23. mug — to rob
  24. shower — to wash

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