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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. present — a gift
  4. lean — to bend
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. present — there
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. cold — not warm
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. can — a tin
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. cold — an illness
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. present — the time now
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. can — to be able to
  19. lean — thin
  20. snap — to click
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. can — a tin
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. lean — to rest against

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