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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. roll — a list
  5. net — in sport
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. cap — of ice
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. net — for catching
  13. cap — a hat
  14. row — to paddle
  15. cap — a lid
  16. row — a line
  17. snap — to click
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. roll — a cake
  20. rush — hurry
  21. net — after costs
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — the animal
  24. row — a quarrel

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