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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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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: wave · snap · sharp · spring · chair · pass · firm · bat

  1. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  17. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. spring — the season
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. chair — a leader
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. spring — of water
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. sharp — clever
  12. pass — a permit
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. firm — a company
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. firm — decided
  17. wave — with your hand
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. bat — the animal
  21. spring — a coil
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. snap — to click

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