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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. pass — a permit
  7. snap — to click
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. pit — a hole
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. ball — a dance
  13. squash — the sport
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pop — to visit
  17. pit — in a race
  18. ball — a great time
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. squash — to crush
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pop — soda
  24. pop — music

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