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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 is an ace ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  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. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. club — a group
  6. snap — to click
  7. object — a thing
  8. object — an aim
  9. club — for golf
  10. last — final
  11. deal — to handle
  12. last — finally
  13. pound — a weight
  14. last — to go on
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. object — to protest
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bat — the animal
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. club — for dancing
  23. bat — for baseball
  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