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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  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. snap — to click
  2. spring — the season
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. branch — a division
  5. game — a match
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. cap — a hat
  8. pit — in a race
  9. cap — of ice
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. pit — a hole
  12. mark — a trace
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. fine — high quality
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. spring — of water
  18. fine — all right
  19. cap — a lid
  20. spring — a coil
  21. mark — a grade
  22. game — wild animals
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  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