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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. hand — help
  3. tube — the underground
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. mark — a grade
  9. mark — a trace
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. snap — to click
  12. suit — clothes
  13. suit — to fit
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. tube — a container
  16. hand — in cards
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. rock — music
  19. rush — hurry
  20. cold — not warm
  21. rock — a stone
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. suit — in cards

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