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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. mark — a grade
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. net — after costs
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. can — to be able to
  8. net — in sport
  9. snap — to click
  10. object — to protest
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. mark — a trace
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. wound — an injury
  16. can — a tin
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. net — for catching
  19. wound — an injury
  20. can — a tin
  21. object — a thing
  22. stand — to bear
  23. pass — a permit
  24. object — an aim

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