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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: staff · swing · pass · object · root · snap · cold · deal

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. swing — in golf
  3. cold — an illness
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. staff — employees
  6. root — the cause
  7. object — to protest
  8. swing — to play on
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. deal — to handle
  12. staff — a stick
  13. staff — employees
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. object — a thing
  16. swing — music
  17. pass — a permit
  18. root — of a plant
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. root — of a word
  21. cold — not warm
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. object — an aim

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