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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. snap — to click
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. shower — to wash
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. pass — a permit
  11. shower — rain
  12. bore — to tire
  13. spell — magic
  14. bore — to drill
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. spell — letters
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. pitch — completely
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. spell — a short time
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bore — gave birth

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