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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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: mug · snap · perch · cold · pop · nail · field · pass

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. cold — not warm
  5. pass — a permit
  6. field — farmland
  7. mug — to rob
  8. snap — to click
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. mug — a face
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. pop — to visit
  14. pop — music
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. mug — a cup
  18. pop — soda
  19. field — a subject
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. perch — the fish
  24. cold — an illness

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