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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. ball — a dance
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. swing — in golf
  9. swing — music
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. hand — help
  14. snap — to click
  15. rush — hurry
  16. stock — goods
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. ball — a great time
  19. stock — shares
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. hand — in cards
  22. branch — a division
  23. swing — to play on
  24. branch — of a bank

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