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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. spell — letters
  6. snap — to click
  7. mark — a trace
  8. hand — help
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. fine — all right
  12. fine — high quality
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. mark — a grade
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. hand — in cards
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. spell — magic
  24. deal — to handle

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