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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. hand — help
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. suit — to fit
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. land — ground
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. snap — to click
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. rush — hurry
  14. mate — a friend
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. suit — clothes
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. suit — in cards
  19. land — a country
  20. mate — to breed
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. hand — in cards
  23. land — to come down
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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