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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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. cabinet — ministers
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. snap — to click
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. charge — electricity
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. pitch — completely
  16. charge — in control
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bear — the animal
  19. charge — a price
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. bear — the animal
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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