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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 120 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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. chest — of your body
  4. last — to go on
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. present — a gift
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. last — final
  9. present — the time now
  10. mug — a face
  11. chest — a box
  12. mug — to rob
  13. game — wild animals
  14. chest — of your body
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. game — a match
  17. rock — music
  18. last — finally
  19. snap — to click
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. present — there
  23. mug — a cup
  24. rock — a stone

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