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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — a thrill
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. mine — for digging
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. land — to come down
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. pass — a permit
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. land — a country
  11. bass — low music
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. vault — a safe
  14. bass — the fish
  15. snap — to click
  16. land — ground
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. kick — in football

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