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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. spell — magic
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. fine — high quality
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. roll — a cake
  10. spell — letters
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. pound — a weight
  15. fine — all right
  16. mate — a partner
  17. snap — to click
  18. mate — to breed
  19. deal — to handle
  20. mate — a friend
  21. spell — a short time
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. roll — a list

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