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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 I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. can — a tin
  3. can — to be able to
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. chest — of your body
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. can — a tin
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. cell — in biology
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. chest — a box
  13. cell — a phone
  14. chest — of your body
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. pit — in a race
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. degree — temperature
  20. pit — a hole
  21. degree — an amount
  22. pitch — completely
  23. degree — from a university
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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