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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. pit — a hole
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. game — a match
  5. snap — to click
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. wound — an injury
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. pit — in a race
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. pass — a permit
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. bulb — for light
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. rush — hurry
  21. plane — a tool
  22. game — wild animals
  23. wound — an injury
  24. plane — an aircraft

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