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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to spend time
  2. snap — to click
  3. prune — to trim
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. pop — to visit
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. cold — not warm
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. mine — for digging
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. pop — music
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. pass — a permit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. cold — an illness
  22. cold — the Cold War
  23. pop — soda
  24. mine — belonging to me

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