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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. content — happy
  5. pitch — completely
  6. spell — magic
  7. wound — an injury
  8. spell — a short time
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. pass — a permit
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. content — the amount
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. wound — an injury
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. spell — letters
  24. safe — out of danger

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