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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. root — of a word
  4. root — of a plant
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. board — to get on
  8. root — the cause
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bat — the animal
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. kick — in football
  15. dip — to sink
  16. snap — to click
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. scale — in music
  19. scale — size or range
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. board — a committee
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. pass — a permit

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