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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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. safe — a strongbox
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. mug — a cup
  9. perch — the fish
  10. stem — to come from
  11. cold — not warm
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. mug — a face
  16. snap — to click
  17. last — to go on
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. mug — to rob
  20. last — finally
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. cold — an illness
  23. last — final
  24. pass — a permit

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