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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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. mug — to rob
  3. ball — a dance
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. wake — a trail
  6. track — a song
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. mug — a cup
  9. drill — a practice
  10. ball — a great time
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. track — a path
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. snap — to click
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. track — to keep track
  19. drill — army training
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. sharp — clever
  22. drill — the tool
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. mug — a face

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