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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 120 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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. chest — of your body
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. lean — thin
  7. snap — to click
  8. lean — to bend
  9. spring — a coil
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — a box
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. firm — decided
  15. firm — a company
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. lie — to recline
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. spring — of water
  20. saw — the tool
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. spring — the season
  24. firm — steady

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