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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. ground — the earth
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. ground — crushed
  5. bat — the animal
  6. pop — music
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. pop — soda
  10. can — a tin
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. ground — a position
  13. pop — to visit
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. can — a tin
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. snap — to click
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. can — to be able to
  24. racket — for tennis

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