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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 don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. stem — a stem cell
  4. vault — a safe
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. snap — to click
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. stem — of a plant
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. pitch — completely
  13. rock — music
  14. rock — a stone
  15. pass — a permit
  16. wind — moving air
  17. wind — moving air
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. stem — to come from
  24. pass — to spend time

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