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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. When are we going to ________________?
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. rock — music
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. land — a country
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. land — to come down
  9. rash — hasty
  10. bear — the animal
  11. rush — hurry
  12. snap — to click
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bear — the animal
  16. rash — a series
  17. rock — a stone
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. land — ground
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. saw — the tool
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. rush — a thrill

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