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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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. nail — on a finger
  4. pit — in a race
  5. mug — to rob
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. date — the fruit
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. land — a country
  11. board — to get on
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. mug — a face
  14. fork — in a road
  15. mug — a cup
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. land — to come down
  18. pit — a hole
  19. land — ground
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. board — a committee

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