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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. court — of law
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. craft — boats
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. snap — to click
  11. roll — a list
  12. game — wild animals
  13. roll — a cake
  14. lie — to recline
  15. court — for sport
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. court — of a king
  19. game — a match
  20. wind — moving air
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. wind — moving air
  23. craft — a skill
  24. pass — a permit

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