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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. court — of a king
  4. rash — hasty
  5. pop — soda
  6. cap — a lid
  7. pop — to visit
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. cap — of ice
  10. mark — a grade
  11. cap — a hat
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. mark — a trace
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. court — for sport
  20. pop — music
  21. court — of law
  22. rash — a series
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. leaves — of a tree

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