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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — a box
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. snap — to click
  8. squash — the sport
  9. cell — in biology
  10. rule — a law
  11. rule — government
  12. chest — of your body
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. stand — to bear
  16. cell — a phone
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. lean — to bend
  19. squash — to crush
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. cell — in a prison

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