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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. snap — to click
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. cold — not warm
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. suit — clothes
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. staff — employees
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. cold — an illness
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. staff — a stick
  18. suit — to fit
  19. suit — in cards
  20. hand — in cards
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. hand — help
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. staff — employees

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