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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: firm · land · present · snap · straw · pass · ruler · cap

  1. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. cap — a hat
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. firm — steady
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. land — ground
  7. present — a gift
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. snap — to click
  10. cap — a lid
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. cap — of ice
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. pass — a permit
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. land — to come down
  17. present — the time now
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. present — there
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. land — a country
  23. firm — decided
  24. ruler — for measuring

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