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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — clever
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. snap — to click
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. rest — a break
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. rest — what's left
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. pass — a permit
  17. rest — what's left
  18. mine — for digging

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