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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. cap — a lid
  4. bank — for money
  5. bank — for money
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. spell — a short time
  9. bank — of a river
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. cell — a phone
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pass — a permit
  14. cap — a hat
  15. spell — letters
  16. cap — of ice
  17. spell — magic
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. rash — a series
  20. snap — to click
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. rash — hasty
  23. cell — in biology
  24. pass — to spend time

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