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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 124 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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. pass — a permit
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. mine — for digging
  6. can — a tin
  7. snap — to click
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. wake — a trail
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. can — a tin
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. can — to be able to
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bowl — a football final

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