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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. pass — a permit
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. rash — a series
  8. rash — hasty
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. snap — to click
  13. toast — bread
  14. toast — the most admired
  15. wound — an injury
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. suit — in cards
  19. suit — clothes
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. suit — to fit
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. wound — an injury

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