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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: pop · club · fall · net · saw · ruler · drill · snap

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. fall — to drop
  3. club — for golf
  4. pop — music
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. club — a group
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. drill — a practice
  9. net — for catching
  10. saw — the tool
  11. fall — to drop
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. drill — the tool
  15. fall — the season
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. net — in sport
  18. snap — to click
  19. pop — to visit
  20. drill — army training
  21. net — after costs
  22. club — for dancing
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. saw — the tool

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