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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. roll — a list
  4. object — to protest
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. snap — to click
  7. hand — help
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. object — a thing
  10. lean — thin
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. chest — a box
  14. fork — in a road
  15. face — to point toward
  16. hand — in cards
  17. chest — of your body
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. face — to confront
  20. face — part of the head
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. lean — to bend
  23. roll — a cake
  24. chest — of your body

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