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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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468
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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. fine — high quality
  4. ball — a dance
  5. fine — all right
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. pass — a permit
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. dip — to sink
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. snap — to click
  19. game — wild animals
  20. ball — a great time
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. kid — child
  23. game — a match
  24. leaves — of a tree

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