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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. pass — a permit
  4. lean — thin
  5. cap — a hat
  6. net — in sport
  7. lean — to bend
  8. game — a match
  9. cap — a lid
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. chip — to eat
  12. game — wild animals
  13. cap — of ice
  14. net — for catching
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. net — after costs
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. chip — for betting
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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