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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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468
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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. ball — a great time
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. pit — a hole
  5. cold — an illness
  6. saw — the tool
  7. fork — in a road
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. stand — for spectators
  10. saw — the tool
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. ball — a dance
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. cold — not warm
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. stand — to bear
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. pit — in a race
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. snap — to click
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. ball — a round shape

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