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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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. lean — thin
  3. season — in sport
  4. chest — of your body
  5. chest — of your body
  6. season — of the year
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. stem — to come from
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. lean — to bend
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. saw — the tool
  18. saw — the tool
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. chest — a box
  24. snap — to click

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