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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. row — to paddle
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. rock — music
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. content — happy
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. spell — a short time
  11. row — a line
  12. spell — magic
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. chip — to eat
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. snap — to click
  18. content — the amount
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. rock — a stone
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. chip — for betting
  23. deal — to handle
  24. chip — in a computer

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