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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. fall — to drop
  4. file — a tool
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. snap — to click
  8. wind — moving air
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. rush — hurry
  13. mate — a friend
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. mate — a partner
  16. staff — a stick
  17. wind — moving air
  18. file — a line of people
  19. fall — the season
  20. staff — employees
  21. mate — to breed
  22. file — a document
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. staff — employees

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