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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. last — finally
  3. spell — letters
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. lie — to recline
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. pitch — completely
  9. snap — to click
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. rule — a law
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. last — final
  16. last — to go on
  17. spell — a short time
  18. rule — government
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. spell — magic
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. pitch — a sports field

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