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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. saw — the tool
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. rule — a law
  14. chair — a leader
  15. march — the month
  16. march — music
  17. saw — the tool
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. lie — to recline
  23. rule — government
  24. march — the month

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