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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: ball · present · straw · saw · spell · ruler · snap · rash

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. rash — hasty
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. present — a gift
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. spell — a short time
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. present — the time now
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. saw — the tool
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. saw — the tool
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. ball — a dance
  17. rash — a series
  18. ball — a great time
  19. present — there
  20. spell — magic
  21. spell — letters
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. ruler — a monarch

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