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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. snap — to click
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. rash — a series
  8. perch — the fish
  9. ball — a great time
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. pound — a weight
  14. ball — a dance
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. pass — a permit
  24. straw — dry grass

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