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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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. pit — a hole
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. cold — not warm
  7. present — a gift
  8. present — the time now
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. pit — in a race
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. snap — to click
  16. bulb — for light
  17. cold — an illness
  18. bulb — for light
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. present — there
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. deal — to handle

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