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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mark — a trace
  5. file — a document
  6. last — final
  7. last — finally
  8. last — to go on
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. file — a line of people
  11. fork — in a road
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. file — a tool
  18. bulb — for light
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. bulb — for light
  22. mark — a grade
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. calf — of the leg

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