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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. bound — certain
  4. stand — to bear
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. staff — employees
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. staff — a stick
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. staff — employees
  12. bound — tied together
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. lie — to recline
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. rush — hurry
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. bound — obliged

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