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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. present — a gift
  3. present — the time now
  4. fall — to drop
  5. rest — what's left
  6. fall — to drop
  7. ball — a great time
  8. craft — boats
  9. pop — music
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. pop — to visit
  13. snap — to click
  14. fall — the season
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. rest — what's left
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. pop — soda
  20. rest — a break
  21. craft — a skill
  22. ball — a dance
  23. present — there
  24. jam — in traffic

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