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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. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. capital — money
  5. face — to point toward
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. perch — the fish
  8. rule — a law
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. snap — to click
  11. capital — a city
  12. rule — to rule out
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. face — to confront
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. face — part of the head
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. rule — government
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. ruler — for measuring

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