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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. mate — to breed
  4. key — the most important part
  5. roll — a cake
  6. cold — an illness
  7. roll — a list
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. cold — not warm
  10. mate — a partner
  11. stand — to bear
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. coach — pulled by horses
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. key — in music
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. key — for a lock
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. mate — a friend
  23. snap — to click
  24. stand — on your feet

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