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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. When are we going to ________________?
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. suit — in cards
  4. suit — clothes
  5. snap — to click
  6. pass — a permit
  7. land — ground
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. wound — an injury
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. suit — to fit
  19. wound — an injury
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. foot — a measure
  22. date — the fruit
  23. land — a country
  24. date — on the calendar

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