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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. pop — music
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. fork — in a road
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. roll — a list
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pop — soda
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. shower — rain
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. roll — a cake
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. shower — to wash
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. trunk — of a car

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