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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. face — to point toward
  3. face — part of the head
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. kid — to tease
  8. can — a tin
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. can — to be able to
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. sharp — clever
  13. snap — to click
  14. can — a tin
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. roll — a cake
  17. face — to confront
  18. court — of law
  19. court — for sport
  20. court — of a king
  21. roll — a list
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. fork — in a road

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