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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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. object — to protest
  3. fall — to drop
  4. suit — clothes
  5. object — an aim
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. suit — to fit
  12. snap — to click
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. fall — the season
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. fall — to drop
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. suit — in cards
  21. object — a thing
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. jam — in traffic

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