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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 120 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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. fall — to drop
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. sharp — clever
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. spell — letters
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. object — a thing
  11. spell — a short time
  12. race — humankind
  13. snap — to click
  14. race — a contest
  15. vault — a safe
  16. spell — magic
  17. object — to protest
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. fall — the season
  21. race — the arms race
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. fall — to drop
  24. object — an aim

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