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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. snap — to click
  3. pass — a permit
  4. sharp — clever
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. key — in music
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. prune — to trim
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. prune — to trim
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. wind — moving air
  19. wind — moving air
  20. key — for a lock
  21. key — the most important part
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. sharp — exactly

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