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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. swing — in golf
  4. net — for catching
  5. net — after costs
  6. field — farmland
  7. field — for sport
  8. tear — from crying
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. swing — to play on
  11. present — there
  12. present — the time now
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. swing — music
  15. pass — a permit
  16. tear — to rip
  17. fall — to drop
  18. field — a subject
  19. tear — from crying
  20. net — in sport
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — the season
  23. present — a gift
  24. snap — to click

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