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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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. mug — a face
  3. deal — to handle
  4. mug — a cup
  5. cap — a lid
  6. cold — an illness
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. lean — to bend
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. mug — to rob
  11. mark — a grade
  12. cap — of ice
  13. cap — a hat
  14. ground — a position
  15. cold — not warm
  16. lean — thin
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. ground — crushed
  19. snap — to click
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. mark — a trace
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. ground — the earth
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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