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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. row — a line
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. face — part of the head
  6. key — the most important part
  7. face — to point toward
  8. pop — to visit
  9. key — in music
  10. ground — the earth
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. pop — music
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. pop — soda
  15. ground — crushed
  16. ground — a position
  17. snap — to click
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. wake — a trail
  20. face — to confront
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. pass — a permit
  23. row — to paddle
  24. key — for a lock

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