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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 124 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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. dip — to sink
  3. can — a tin
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. can — to be able to
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. scale — size or range
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. hand — in cards
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. hand — help
  16. snap — to click
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. scale — in music
  20. rush — hurry
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. can — a tin

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