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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. kid — to tease
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. season — in sport
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. rest — what's left
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. squash — to crush
  14. squash — the sport
  15. season — of the year
  16. kid — child
  17. bear — the animal
  18. rest — what's left
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. rush — hurry
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. rest — a break
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. bear — the animal

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