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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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. cabinet — ministers
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. bark — to shout
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. snap — to click
  7. shower — to wash
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. bark — a dog's sound
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. shower — rain
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. rush — hurry
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. bark — of a tree

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