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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. tube — the underground
  3. ground — the earth
  4. lean — to bend
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. ground — crushed
  8. last — final
  9. ground — a position
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. last — to go on
  12. lean — thin
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. last — finally
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. tube — a container
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. sharp — clever
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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