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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. ball — a great time
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. mine — for digging
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. wake — a trail
  16. pass — a permit
  17. ball — a dance
  18. mine — belonging to me

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