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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. cold — an illness
  3. saw — the tool
  4. snap — to click
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. cold — not warm
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. firm — decided
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. saw — the tool
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. suit — in cards
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. firm — a company
  15. suit — clothes
  16. sharp — clever
  17. prune — to trim
  18. firm — steady
  19. rush — hurry
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. prune — to trim
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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