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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.

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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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. mark — a trace
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. cold — an illness
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. mark — a grade
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. field — a subject
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. prune — to trim
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. field — farmland
  17. prune — to trim
  18. cold — not warm
  19. field — for sport
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. toast — bread
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. snap — to click

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