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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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. wake — a trail
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. rest — a break
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. march — the month
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. lean — to bend
  10. lean — thin
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. snap — to click
  13. rest — what's left
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. deal — to handle
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. march — the month
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. race — the arms race
  20. race — a contest
  21. race — humankind
  22. march — music
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. rest — what's left

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