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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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. rash — a series
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. snap — to click
  5. bound — certain
  6. ground — crushed
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. ground — the earth
  11. ground — a position
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. bear — the animal
  14. wake — a trail
  15. bound — tied together
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. bear — the animal
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. bound — obliged
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. rash — hasty
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. rash — on the skin

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