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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. game — a match
  3. craft — boats
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. rule — a law
  8. hand — help
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. pop — soda
  11. snap — to click
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. bulb — for light
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. game — wild animals
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. pop — to visit
  18. rule — government
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. pop — music
  21. hand — in cards
  22. craft — a skill
  23. bulb — for light
  24. racket — for tennis

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