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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. firm — steady
  9. game — wild animals
  10. scale — in music
  11. firm — a company
  12. field — a subject
  13. mug — a face
  14. game — a match
  15. scale — size or range
  16. mug — to rob
  17. field — for sport
  18. can — a tin
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. can — a tin
  21. can — to be able to
  22. firm — decided
  23. field — farmland
  24. mug — a cup

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