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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. He was locked up in a ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. cell — in a prison
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. fine — all right
  8. kick — in football
  9. cell — a phone
  10. fine — high quality
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. craft — boats
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — for light
  22. craft — a skill
  23. cell — in biology
  24. racket — for tennis

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