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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. kid — child
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. mate — a partner
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. pass — a permit
  10. mate — a friend
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. mate — to breed
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. roll — a list
  16. plane — a tool
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. roll — a cake
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. snap — to click
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. kid — to tease

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