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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. mate — a friend
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. mark — a grade
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. mark — a trace
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. mate — to breed
  11. sharp — clever
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. craft — boats
  15. perch — the fish
  16. content — the amount
  17. mate — a partner
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. content — happy
  22. craft — a skill
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. sharp — with an edge

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