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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. lean — thin
  3. kid — child
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. ball — a dance
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stock — shares
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. date — the fruit
  14. kid — to tease
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. pit — a hole
  18. snap — to click
  19. stock — goods
  20. lean — to bend
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. pit — in a race
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. ball — a great time

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