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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. fall — to drop
  4. mark — a trace
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. fall — the season
  8. swing — music
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. rush — hurry
  12. spring — a coil
  13. swing — in golf
  14. swing — to play on
  15. content — the amount
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. snap — to click
  18. fall — to drop
  19. content — happy
  20. mark — a grade
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. spring — of water
  23. spring — the season
  24. rush — a thrill

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