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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 120 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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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. snap — to speak sharply
  3. deal — to handle
  4. clip — a video
  5. face — to point toward
  6. snap — to click
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. court — of law
  9. court — for sport
  10. face — to confront
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. court — of a king
  13. clip — to cut
  14. clip — for paper
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. face — part of the head
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. pass — a permit

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