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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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. toast — bread
  3. object — a thing
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. wake — a trail
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. rash — a series
  10. board — a committee
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. object — an aim
  15. rash — hasty
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. fork — in a road
  18. board — to get on
  19. snap — to click
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. object — to protest
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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