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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. pop — music
  4. saw — the tool
  5. snap — to click
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. pop — to visit
  8. degree — temperature
  9. degree — an amount
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. chip — for betting
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. degree — from a university
  15. saw — the tool
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. pop — soda
  18. foot — a measure
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. chip — to eat
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. chip — in a computer

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