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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. toast — bread
  3. drill — army training
  4. face — part of the head
  5. root — the cause
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. root — of a word
  14. fall — the season
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fork — in a road
  17. fall — to drop
  18. drill — the tool
  19. root — of a plant
  20. drill — a practice
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. face — to confront
  23. face — to point toward
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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