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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. mug — a face
  3. last — final
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. wave — with your hand
  9. mug — to rob
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — in sport
  13. bear — the animal
  14. last — finally
  15. last — to go on
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. fork — in a road
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. net — after costs
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. mug — a cup
  23. bear — the animal
  24. mine — for digging

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