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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. face — to confront
  3. bore — gave birth
  4. bore — to drill
  5. swing — in golf
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. fine — all right
  9. face — part of the head
  10. swing — music
  11. face — to point toward
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. craft — a skill
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. fine — high quality
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. swing — to play on
  18. season — in sport
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. season — of the year
  22. craft — boats
  23. bore — to tire
  24. bowl — a football final

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