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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. bat — the animal
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. present — a gift
  7. present — the time now
  8. mate — a friend
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. mate — a partner
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. mate — to breed
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. present — there
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. stock — shares
  23. stock — goods
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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