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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.

Make a worksheet

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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. fall — the season
  4. fall — to drop
  5. mug — to rob
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. fall — to drop
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. key — for a lock
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. mug — a cup
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. snap — to click
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. bark — to shout
  22. key — the most important part
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. key — in 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