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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 116 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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. face — part of the head
  3. face — to point toward
  4. game — wild animals
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pop — soda
  7. mark — a grade
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. game — a match
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. pop — music
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. mark — a trace
  14. wake — a trail
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. face — to confront
  18. pound — a weight
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. hide — animal skin

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