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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. pass — a permit
  3. rest — a break
  4. wake — a trail
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. mate — to breed
  8. mate — a partner
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. rest — what's left
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. snap — to click
  17. rest — what's left
  18. sharp — clever

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