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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. snap — to click
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. rash — a series
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. rash — hasty
  7. lean — to bend
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. vault — a safe
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. wake — a trail
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. kick — in football
  23. lean — thin
  24. wake — before a funeral

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