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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. mark — a trace
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. wake — a trail
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. cold — not warm
  8. swing — music
  9. rule — government
  10. mark — a grade
  11. tear — from crying
  12. swing — to play on
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. rule — a law
  16. tear — from crying
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. snap — to click
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. swing — in golf
  23. tear — to rip
  24. cold — an illness

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