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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. I've got to change the light ________________.
  3. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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. bulb — for light
  3. bank — for money
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. last — finally
  7. mine — for digging
  8. last — final
  9. pass — a permit
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. bulb — for light
  13. last — to go on
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. bank — for money
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. snap — to speak sharply
  21. snap — to click
  22. bank — of a river
  23. deal — to handle
  24. pass — to succeed

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