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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  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. hide — to keep secret
  2. rush — hurry
  3. shower — to wash
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. lean — to bend
  6. rest — a break
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. snap — to click
  10. rest — what's left
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. squash — the sport
  13. lean — thin
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. squash — to crush
  18. toast — bread
  19. shower — rain
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. hide — animal skin
  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