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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. scale — in music
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. shower — rain
  8. shower — to wash
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. squash — the sport
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. pass — a permit
  13. rule — a law
  14. rule — government
  15. squash — to crush
  16. snap — to click
  17. hand — help
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. rock — a stone
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. scale — size or range
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. hand — in cards

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