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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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. bark — a dog's sound
  3. pop — music
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. drill — a practice
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. pitch — completely
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. drill — the tool
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. pop — to visit
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. pop — soda
  16. squash — the sport
  17. mine — for digging
  18. drill — army training
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. snap — to click
  21. squash — to crush
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. bark — to shout
  24. squash — the vegetable

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