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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. wind — moving air
  3. cap — a lid
  4. wind — moving air
  5. present — the time now
  6. chip — for betting
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. cap — a hat
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. present — there
  15. pass — a permit
  16. chip — to eat
  17. cap — of ice
  18. field — a subject
  19. present — a gift
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. field — farmland
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. field — for sport
  24. safe — a strongbox

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