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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. pitch — completely
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. roll — a list
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. club — for golf
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. rush — hurry
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. club — for dancing
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. club — a group
  24. roll — a cake

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