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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. spring — the season
  3. suit — to fit
  4. hand — help
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. dip — to sink
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. suit — in cards
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. spring — of water
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. present — the time now
  17. suit — clothes
  18. spring — a coil
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. present — there
  21. hand — in cards
  22. sharp — clever
  23. present — a gift
  24. snap — to click

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