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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. lean — to bend
  3. snap — to click
  4. game — a match
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. game — wild animals
  8. wake — a trail
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. shower — rain
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. shower — to wash
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. lean — thin
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. rush — hurry
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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