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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. stand — to bear
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. kid — to tease
  12. bound — tied together
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. bound — certain
  15. wound — an injury
  16. kid — child
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. pit — a hole
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. bound — obliged
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. wound — an injury
  23. snap — to click
  24. pit — in a race

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