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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. pass — a permit
  3. wind — moving air
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. court — for sport
  10. court — of a king
  11. game — wild animals
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. wind — moving air
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. court — of law
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. wound — an injury
  21. snap — to click
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. wound — an injury

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