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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. rash — a series
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. rash — hasty
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. wind — moving air
  13. pop — soda
  14. fork — in a road
  15. pop — to visit
  16. ball — a great time
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. snap — to click
  19. pop — music
  20. ball — a dance
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. wind — moving air
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. pass — to succeed

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