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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. snap — to click
  3. pop — soda
  4. pop — music
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. can — a tin
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. lie — to recline
  12. pop — to visit
  13. cold — an illness
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. can — a tin
  18. can — to be able to
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. cold — not warm
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. perch — the fish
  24. lie — an untruth

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