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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. pit — in a race
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. pit — a hole
  5. leaves — lets stay
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. charge — electricity
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. cell — in biology
  10. bass — the fish
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. bass — low music
  15. cell — a phone
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. charge — a price
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. charge — in control
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. snap — to click
  24. straw — dry grass

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