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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. can — to be able to
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. snap — to click
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. can — a tin
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. jam — to spread on bread
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. cold — an illness
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. cold — not warm
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. mate — a partner
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. mate — a friend
  19. can — a tin
  20. mate — to breed
  21. plane — a tool
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. jam — in traffic

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