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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. fall — the season
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. track — to keep track
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. track — a song
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. file — a tool
  10. file — a line of people
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. snap — to click
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. season — of the year
  17. fall — to drop
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. season — in sport
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. track — a path
  22. fall — to drop
  23. file — a document
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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