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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 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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. wind — moving air
  3. wind — moving air
  4. face — to point toward
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. face — to confront
  8. face — part of the head
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. spell — magic
  12. vault — a safe
  13. spell — a short time
  14. spell — letters
  15. chip — to eat
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. pit — a hole
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. chip — for betting
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. vault — in gymnastics
  22. pit — in a race
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. sharp — clever

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