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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. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. fine — all right
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. cap — a lid
  6. cap — of ice
  7. lean — to bend
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. wake — a trail
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. pound — a weight
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. snap — to click
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. pit — a hole
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. fine — high quality
  22. cap — a hat
  23. pit — in a race
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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