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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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. bound — obliged
  4. deal — to handle
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. rush — hurry
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. bound — certain
  10. hand — in cards
  11. hand — help
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. pound — a weight
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. bound — tied together
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. deal — an agreement

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