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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 124 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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. rest — what's left
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. net — after costs
  7. mug — a cup
  8. spell — a short time
  9. spell — letters
  10. pound — a weight
  11. mug — a face
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. spell — magic
  14. rest — what's left
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. net — in sport
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. rest — a break
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. net — for catching
  24. mug — to rob

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