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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. suit — clothes
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. bear — the animal
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bass — the fish
  9. file — a document
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. cold — not warm
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. file — a tool
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — a box
  16. snap — to click
  17. suit — in cards
  18. cold — an illness
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. file — a line of people
  21. chest — of your body
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. bass — low music
  24. cold — the Cold War

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