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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. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. net — in sport
  4. squash — to crush
  5. file — a tool
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. net — after costs
  9. face — to confront
  10. file — a document
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. squash — the sport
  13. pass — a permit
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. face — to point toward
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. snap — to click
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. net — for catching
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. file — a line of people
  24. face — part of the head

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