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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. track — a path
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — a stick
  8. track — to keep track
  9. cell — in biology
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. cell — a phone
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. stand — to bear
  15. track — a song
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. staff — employees
  18. net — in sport
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. net — for catching
  21. net — after costs
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. season — in sport
  24. season — of the year

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