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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. march — the month
  5. fall — to drop
  6. march — music
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. fall — to drop
  10. row — to paddle
  11. fall — the season
  12. mark — a trace
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. snap — to click
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. can — to be able to
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. march — the month
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. can — a tin
  23. row — a line
  24. mark — a grade

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