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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. kick — in football
  3. snap — to click
  4. cell — in biology
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. hand — in cards
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. hand — help
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. last — final
  11. last — to go on
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. fall — the season
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. fall — to drop
  22. last — finally
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. fall — to drop

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