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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. club — a group
  3. club — for golf
  4. press — to push
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. pop — soda
  7. wake — a trail
  8. pop — to visit
  9. pound — a weight
  10. bat — the animal
  11. club — for dancing
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. pop — music
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. press — a publisher
  20. press — newspapers
  21. temple — side of the head
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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