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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.

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. suit — to fit
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. field — for sport
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. snap — to click
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. shower — to wash
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. suit — clothes
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. field — a subject
  16. field — farmland
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. prune — to trim
  19. shower — rain
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. suit — in cards
  22. rush — hurry
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. prune — to trim

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