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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. net — in sport
  3. scale — size or range
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. firm — a company
  6. firm — steady
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. scale — in music
  9. shower — to wash
  10. fork — in a road
  11. pass — a permit
  12. snap — to click
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. mine — for digging
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. net — for catching
  19. firm — decided
  20. shower — rain
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. net — after costs
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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