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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. fall — to drop
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. season — of the year
  6. bulb — of a plant
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. rash — a series
  12. bulb — for light
  13. rash — hasty
  14. season — in sport
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. bulb — for light
  17. game — wild animals
  18. fall — the season
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. snap — to click
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. game — a match
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. fall — to drop

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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