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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  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 click
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. saw — the tool
  4. ground — the earth
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. rule — a law
  7. rest — what's left
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. rest — what's left
  12. bark — to shout
  13. ground — a position
  14. rest — a break
  15. bark — of a tree
  16. shower — to wash
  17. saw — the tool
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. shower — rain
  21. rule — government
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. ground — crushed
  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