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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.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. face — part of the head
  3. face — to confront
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. row — to paddle
  6. bore — to drill
  7. court — of a king
  8. court — of law
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. court — for sport
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. bore — to tire
  16. face — to point toward
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. row — a line
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. foot — a measure
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. wave — of the sea

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