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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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. snap — to speak sharply
  3. dip — to sink
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. snap — to click
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. cell — a phone
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. bulb — for light
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. dip — to dunk
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. rash — a series
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. rush — hurry
  21. cell — in biology
  22. bulb — for light
  23. rash — hasty
  24. fork — in a road

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