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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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. fan — a supporter
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. bulb — for light
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. snap — to click
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. chest — a box
  14. bat — the animal
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. ball — a great time
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. bulb — for light
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. ball — a dance
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — of your body

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