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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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. bowl — to roll
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. ball — a dance
  11. snap — to click
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. ball — a great time
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. face — to confront
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. face — part of the head
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. bore — to tire
  22. bore — to drill
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. face — to point toward

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