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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. season — in sport
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. hand — in cards
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. row — a line
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. dip — to sink
  12. vault — a safe
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. row — to paddle
  16. snap — to click
  17. stand — to bear
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. season — of the year
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. hand — help
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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