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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. snap — to click
  4. shower — to wash
  5. last — final
  6. last — to go on
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. cap — a lid
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. fork — in a road
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. board — a committee
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. board — to get on
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. cap — a hat
  21. last — finally
  22. cap — of ice
  23. shower — rain
  24. leaves — lets stay

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