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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 116 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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. can — a tin
  4. pit — a hole
  5. hand — help
  6. press — newspapers
  7. press — a publisher
  8. can — a tin
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. mine — for digging
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. pit — in a race
  13. press — to push
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. rush — hurry
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. stand — to bear
  19. can — to be able to
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. hand — in cards
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. mine — an explosive

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