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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. staff — employees
  6. last — to go on
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. snap — to click
  9. bore — gave birth
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. wind — moving air
  12. bore — to tire
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. last — final
  15. face — to confront
  16. staff — employees
  17. bore — to drill
  18. staff — a stick
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. face — to point toward
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. face — part of the head
  23. wind — moving air
  24. last — finally

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