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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. suit — clothes
  4. fall — to drop
  5. stand — to bear
  6. hand — help
  7. fall — the season
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. march — music
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. fall — to drop
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. suit — to fit
  16. march — the month
  17. hand — in cards
  18. lean — to bend
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. snap — to click
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. march — the month
  24. suit — in cards

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