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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. The light ________________ burned out.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. net — for catching
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. spell — magic
  5. drill — a practice
  6. spell — letters
  7. bulb — for light
  8. drill — army training
  9. bulb — of a plant
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. snap — to click
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. net — in sport
  15. bulb — for light
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. rush — hurry
  18. drill — the tool
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. spell — a short time
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. date — the fruit
  23. net — after costs
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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