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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 don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. pit — in a race
  3. net — in sport
  4. cold — an illness
  5. net — for catching
  6. cell — in biology
  7. lean — thin
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. saw — the tool
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. pit — a hole
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. net — after costs
  14. cold — not warm
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. cell — a phone
  17. lean — to bend
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. saw — the tool
  20. snap — to click
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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