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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 116 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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. wind — moving air
  4. pit — a hole
  5. rest — what's left
  6. lean — thin
  7. rest — a break
  8. lean — to bend
  9. staff — employees
  10. staff — employees
  11. file — a tool
  12. rest — what's left
  13. file — a line of people
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. staff — a stick
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. saw — the tool
  19. pit — in a race
  20. file — a document
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. wind — moving air
  23. saw — the tool
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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