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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 120 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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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. bat — for baseball
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. file — a tool
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. court — of a king
  7. pass — a permit
  8. kick — in football
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. file — a line of people
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. snap — to click
  16. bat — the animal
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. court — of law
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. court — for sport
  21. bark — to shout
  22. file — a document
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. deal — to handle

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