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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. bat — the animal
  3. snap — to click
  4. rest — what's left
  5. board — to get on
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. race — the arms race
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. rest — what's left
  10. race — humankind
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. board — a committee
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. lean — to bend
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. pit — in a race
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. race — a contest
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. fork — in a road
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. rest — a break
  24. pit — a hole

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