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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. snap — to click
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. bound — certain
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. cell — in biology
  12. cell — a phone
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. bound — obliged
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. pass — a permit
  17. fall — the season
  18. dip — to sink
  19. bound — tied together
  20. fall — to drop
  21. date — the fruit
  22. fall — to drop
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. pass — to succeed

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