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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. face — to confront
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. chip — to eat
  6. snap — to click
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. bulb — for light
  9. pop — music
  10. spring — a coil
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. pop — to visit
  13. face — to point toward
  14. bear — the animal
  15. pop — soda
  16. spring — of water
  17. pass — a permit
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. spring — the season
  20. bear — the animal
  21. face — part of the head
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. chip — for betting
  24. bulb — for light

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