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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. wake — a trail
  3. club — for golf
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. face — to point toward
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. face — to confront
  8. pass — a permit
  9. face — part of the head
  10. degree — from a university
  11. fall — the season
  12. spell — a short time
  13. club — a group
  14. spell — letters
  15. fall — to drop
  16. snap — to click
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. spell — magic
  19. club — for dancing
  20. degree — an amount
  21. degree — temperature
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. wake — before a funeral

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