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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. lean — to bend
  6. snap — to click
  7. pop — music
  8. lean — thin
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. pop — soda
  15. pass — a permit
  16. field — farmland
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. dip — to sink
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. field — a subject
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. pop — to visit
  24. field — for sport

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