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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. dip — to sink
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. charge — electricity
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. game — wild animals
  12. fork — in a road
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. charge — in control
  18. charge — a price
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. game — a match
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. wave — of the sea

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