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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. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — a box
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. chest — of your body
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. band — a ring
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. band — a music group
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. snap — to click
  17. chest — of your body
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. rash — a series
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. rash — hasty
  23. pass — a permit
  24. sharp — clever

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