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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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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. foot — the bottom
  3. drill — army training
  4. mug — a face
  5. face — part of the head
  6. mug — to rob
  7. drill — a practice
  8. foot — a measure
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. spell — a short time
  11. spell — letters
  12. row — to paddle
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. mug — a cup
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. snap — to click
  18. drill — the tool
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. face — to point toward
  21. spell — magic
  22. row — a line
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. face — to confront

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