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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. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. craft — a handicraft
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. suit — to fit
  5. spell — magic
  6. net — for catching
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. spell — letters
  9. suit — clothes
  10. net — in sport
  11. content — happy
  12. craft — boats
  13. saw — the tool
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. craft — a skill
  17. wake — a trail
  18. saw — the tool
  19. spell — a short time
  20. content — the amount
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. net — after costs
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. suit — in cards

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