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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 124 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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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. suit — clothes
  3. fall — the season
  4. rash — a series
  5. lean — to rest against
  6. lean — thin
  7. suit — to fit
  8. fall — to drop
  9. cell — in biology
  10. wake — a trail
  11. suit — in cards
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. rash — hasty
  16. lean — to bend
  17. cell — a phone
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. fall — to drop
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. snap — to click
  24. wake — before a funeral

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