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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. ball — a dance
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. fall — to drop
  7. wound — an injury
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. ball — a great time
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. snap — to click
  17. fall — the season
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. wound — an injury
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. fall — to drop
  23. craft — boats
  24. craft — a skill

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