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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 120 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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. last — final
  5. mate — to breed
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. board — to get on
  8. cell — in biology
  9. last — finally
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. mate — a partner
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. mate — a friend
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. board — a committee
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. cell — a phone
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. last — to go on
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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