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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: cold · swing · pit · saw · lean · snap · charge · stand

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. cold — not warm
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. swing — in golf
  8. lean — thin
  9. pit — in a race
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. charge — a price
  13. charge — in control
  14. stand — to bear
  15. cold — the Cold War
  16. charge — electricity
  17. snap — to click
  18. swing — music
  19. saw — the tool
  20. lean — to bend
  21. saw — the tool
  22. cold — an illness
  23. pit — a hole
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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