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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 116 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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. wind — moving air
  4. cell — a phone
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. snap — to click
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. march — the month
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. cell — in biology
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. march — music
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. wind — moving air
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. pound — a weight
  20. march — the month
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. deal — to handle
  24. bay — a horse colour

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