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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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. pit — a fruit stone
  4. capital — money
  5. pit — a hole
  6. snap — to click
  7. ball — a great time
  8. spring — of water
  9. pit — in a race
  10. can — a tin
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. can — a tin
  14. capital — a city
  15. ball — a dance
  16. spring — a coil
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. bound — tied together
  19. spring — the season
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bound — obliged
  22. can — to be able to
  23. bound — certain
  24. prune — to trim

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