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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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. snap — to speak sharply
  3. ground — the earth
  4. kid — child
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. pass — a permit
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. ground — crushed
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. root — of a plant
  13. snap — to click
  14. root — the cause
  15. spring — a coil
  16. kid — to tease
  17. spring — of water
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. root — of a word
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. ground — a position
  24. spring — the season

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