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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. land — to come down
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. pop — soda
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. pit — a hole
  11. wake — a trail
  12. land — ground
  13. pit — in a race
  14. pass — a permit
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. land — a country
  18. lean — thin
  19. pop — music
  20. pop — to visit
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. snap — to click
  23. lean — to bend
  24. wind — moving air

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