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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  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. cabinet — ministers
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. fall — to drop
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. pit — a hole
  7. bat — the animal
  8. spell — magic
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bank — of a river
  11. pit — in a race
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. spell — letters
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. bank — for money
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. spell — a short time
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. fall — to drop
  22. bank — for money
  23. fall — the season
  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