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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. track — a path
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. wind — moving air
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. object — an aim
  8. wind — moving air
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. track — a song
  11. bulb — for light
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. wake — a trail
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. object — to protest
  18. kick — in football
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. object — a thing
  21. track — to keep track
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. bulb — for light
  24. kick — with a leg

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