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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. craft — boats
  3. face — part of the head
  4. lean — to bend
  5. row — to paddle
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. craft — a skill
  9. row — a line
  10. kick — in football
  11. lean — to rest against
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. snap — to click
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. lean — thin
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. craft — a handicraft
  21. face — to point toward
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. row — a quarrel

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