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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. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. lean — to bend
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. suit — to fit
  4. kick — in football
  5. snap — to click
  6. object — a thing
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. object — an aim
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. swing — music
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. suit — in cards
  13. lean — thin
  14. pass — a permit
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. suit — clothes
  17. swing — to play on
  18. land — to come down
  19. swing — in golf
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. land — ground
  23. land — a country
  24. object — to protest

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