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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 116 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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  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 click
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. net — after costs
  8. net — for catching
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. charge — electricity
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. squash — the sport
  14. sharp — clever
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. charge — a price
  18. charge — in control
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. squash — to crush
  23. net — in sport
  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