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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. rush — hurry
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. land — a country
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. plane — a tool
  8. lean — thin
  9. lean — to bend
  10. charge — in control
  11. land — to come down
  12. land — ground
  13. charge — electricity
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. charge — a price
  16. field — farmland
  17. snap — to click
  18. field — for sport
  19. plane — in geometry
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. field — a subject

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