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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. mug — to rob
  3. foot — a measure
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. snap — to click
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. fall — to drop
  9. swing — music
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. fall — the season
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. swing — to play on
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. pop — to visit
  17. fall — to drop
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. pop — soda
  21. mug — a cup
  22. mug — a face
  23. swing — in golf
  24. pop — music

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