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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 shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. cold — an illness
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. mine — for digging
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. cold — not warm
  7. object — to protest
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. ground — crushed
  14. snap — to click
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. ground — the earth
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. rush — hurry
  20. object — an aim
  21. object — a thing
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. ground — a position

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