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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. snap — to click
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. fine — high quality
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. bound — certain
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. fine — all right
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. pound — a weight
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bound — tied together
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. bowl — a football final

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