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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 116 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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. snap — to click
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. suit — to fit
  5. present — there
  6. suit — in cards
  7. field — farmland
  8. present — the time now
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. pitch — completely
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. field — for sport
  17. cold — an illness
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. present — a gift
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. field — a subject
  23. cold — not warm
  24. nail — for a hammer

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