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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. spell — magic
  3. spell — letters
  4. track — a song
  5. spell — a short time
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. track — a path
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. net — in sport
  11. snap — to click
  12. suit — in cards
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. net — for catching
  15. kid — child
  16. suit — to fit
  17. track — to keep track
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. net — after costs
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. hand — help
  22. suit — clothes
  23. hand — in cards
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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