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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Did you ________________ the button?
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. suit — in cards
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. lean — to bend
  5. snap — to click
  6. wound — an injury
  7. suit — clothes
  8. wake — a trail
  9. tear — to rip
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. press — newspapers
  13. game — a match
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. tear — from crying
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. press — to push
  18. press — a publisher
  19. suit — to fit
  20. game — wild animals
  21. lean — thin
  22. tear — from crying
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. lean — to rest against

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