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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. pop — to visit
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. snap — to click
  8. shower — rain
  9. file — a document
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. pop — soda
  13. file — a line of people
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. file — a tool
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. mine — for digging
  20. pop — music
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. stand — to bear
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. shower — to wash

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