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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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. rock — to move gently
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. shower — rain
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. court — of law
  7. rock — music
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. lean — to bend
  10. press — newspapers
  11. rock — a stone
  12. court — for sport
  13. press — to push
  14. shower — to wash
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. snap — to click
  17. press — a publisher
  18. court — of a king
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. lean — thin
  21. game — wild animals
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. game — a match
  24. nail — for a hammer

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