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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. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. wind — moving air
  3. roll — a cake
  4. face — part of the head
  5. snap — to click
  6. mate — a friend
  7. cell — a phone
  8. face — to point toward
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. mate — to breed
  12. mate — a partner
  13. face — to confront
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. wind — moving air
  20. cell — in biology
  21. suit — in cards
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. suit — to fit
  24. roll — a list

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