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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. pop — soda
  3. drill — the tool
  4. mine — for digging
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. rock — a stone
  7. season — of the year
  8. rock — music
  9. snap — to click
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. suit — in cards
  13. season — in sport
  14. pop — to visit
  15. pop — music
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. suit — to fit
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. drill — army training
  21. drill — a practice
  22. suit — clothes
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. mine — belonging to me

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