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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. land — ground
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. land — to come down
  7. land — a country
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. fall — to drop
  10. cue — a hint
  11. fall — the season
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. wake — a trail
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. band — a ring
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. pass — a permit
  18. cue — a signal
  19. sharp — clever
  20. kick — in football
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. band — a music group
  23. fall — to drop
  24. cue — for pool

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