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

Word bank: fall · fan · mouse · row · ruler · date · snap · mark

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  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 snap out of it
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. fall — to drop
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. row — a line
  8. mark — a grade
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. row — to paddle
  12. mark — a trace
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. fall — the season
  15. date — the fruit
  16. fall — to drop
  17. snap — to click
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. mark — to pay attention
  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