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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 · rush · snap · hand · spell · mark · wake · court

  1. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. court — of law
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. hand — help
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. court — of a king
  10. mark — a trace
  11. wake — a trail
  12. rush — hurry
  13. spell — a short time
  14. mark — a grade
  15. snap — to click
  16. spell — magic
  17. fall — to drop
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. court — for sport
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. hand — in cards
  22. spell — letters
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. fall — to drop

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