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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. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. I can't ________________ this cold.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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. stand — on your feet
  3. snap — to click
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. bound — certain
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. bound — tied together
  9. wind — moving air
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. bound — obliged
  14. mark — a grade
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. wind — moving air
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. stand — to bear
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. mine — for digging
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. mark — a trace
  24. jam — in traffic

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