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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. What do you think of the new ________________?
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. court — of law
  3. clip — to cut
  4. stand — to bear
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. pass — a permit
  8. clip — for paper
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. fall — the season
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. court — of a king
  18. fall — to drop
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. court — for sport
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. clip — a video
  24. fall — to drop

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