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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 120 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
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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: mug · saw · fan · snap · land · pass · march · kid

  1. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — a permit
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. mug — to rob
  4. kid — child
  5. march — music
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. kid — to tease
  10. saw — the tool
  11. land — ground
  12. snap — to click
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. march — the month
  16. mug — a face
  17. land — a country
  18. land — to come down
  19. saw — the tool
  20. mug — a cup
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. march — the month
  23. pass — to spend time
  24. pass — to succeed

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