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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. sharp — with an edge
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. squash — the sport
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. face — to confront
  10. face — part of the head
  11. pass — a permit
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. sharp — clever
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. face — to point toward
  17. squash — to crush
  18. object — an aim
  19. snap — to click
  20. object — to protest
  21. rush — hurry
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. object — a thing

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