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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: clip · pit · pop · kid · pound · patient · pass · snap

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  23. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. pass — to spend time
  3. pit — in a race
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. pound — a weight
  8. clip — a video
  9. clip — to cut
  10. pop — soda
  11. snap — to click
  12. pass — a permit
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. clip — for paper
  16. kid — child
  17. pit — a hole
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. kid — to tease
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. pop — music
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. pound — for dogs
  24. pop — to visit

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