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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.

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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: cap · snap · mouse · pass · fork · wound · wake · roll

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. roll — a cake
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. wound — an injury
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. cap — a hat
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. cap — a lid
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. pass — a permit
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. fork — in a road
  16. cap — of ice
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. wake — a trail
  21. wound — an injury
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. snap — to click
  24. roll — on a roll

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