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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 120 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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. snap — to click
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. craft — boats
  6. net — for catching
  7. dip — to sink
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bark — to shout
  10. net — in sport
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. foot — a measure
  16. rash — a series
  17. rash — hasty
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. craft — a skill
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. net — after costs
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. dip — a sauce

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