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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. bear — the animal
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. chair — a leader
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. bulb — for light
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. dip — to sink
  13. bulb — for light
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. bear — the animal
  17. land — ground
  18. land — a country
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. land — to come down
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. hide — to keep secret

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