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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 116 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 keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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. track — to keep track
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. fine — high quality
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. track — a path
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. fine — all right
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. kid — child
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. kid — to tease
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. tube — the underground
  18. track — a song
  19. tube — a container
  20. perch — the fish
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. snap — to click

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