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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. wound — an injury
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. mate — to breed
  5. track — a path
  6. saw — the tool
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. net — after costs
  10. net — in sport
  11. track — to keep track
  12. saw — the tool
  13. track — a song
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. mate — a partner
  20. net — for catching
  21. toast — bread
  22. mate — a friend
  23. wound — an injury
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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