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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. pass — a permit
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. content — the amount
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. swing — music
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. snap — to click
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. swing — to play on
  18. kick — in football
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. swing — in golf
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. content — happy
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. jam — in traffic

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