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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 116 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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The ________________ took off on time.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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. cold — an illness
  3. cold — not warm
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. charge — electricity
  6. rock — music
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. snap — to click
  9. charge — in control
  10. rock — a stone
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. swing — in golf
  13. plane — an aircraft
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. charge — a price
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. plane — a tool
  22. swing — to play on
  23. swing — music
  24. leaves — to go away

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