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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: march · lean · pit · hide · tear · suit · snap · deal

  1. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  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. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — thin
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. march — the month
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. march — music
  7. march — the month
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. lean — to bend
  10. tear — to rip
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. pit — in a race
  13. suit — to fit
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. snap — to click
  16. suit — clothes
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. deal — to handle
  19. suit — in cards
  20. tear — from crying
  21. lean — to rest against
  22. pit — a hole
  23. tear — from crying
  24. hide — to keep secret

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