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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  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. present — a gift
  2. snap — to click
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. land — to come down
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. season — in sport
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. present — the time now
  10. bulb — for light
  11. present — there
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. season — of the year
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. land — ground
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. pass — a permit
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. bulb — for light
  23. land — a country
  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