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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. pass — a permit
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. kid — to tease
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. object — an aim
  7. drill — a practice
  8. object — to protest
  9. drill — the tool
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. pit — a hole
  14. present — the time now
  15. object — a thing
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. kid — child
  18. snap — to click
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. present — a gift
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. drill — army training
  23. present — there
  24. pit — in a race

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