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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 116 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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. rush — hurry
  5. can — a tin
  6. wind — moving air
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. last — finally
  9. can — a tin
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. can — to be able to
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. last — final
  15. pass — a permit
  16. snap — to click
  17. last — to go on
  18. wind — moving air

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