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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. pass — a permit
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. chair — a leader
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. pop — to visit
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. drill — a practice
  10. pop — soda
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. pop — music
  13. sharp — clever
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. court — of a king
  16. drill — army training
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. court — of law
  20. drill — the tool
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. court — for sport

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