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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the button?
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. press — to push
  3. snap — to click
  4. face — to point toward
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. press — newspapers
  7. press — a publisher
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. spell — a short time
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. pop — music
  14. track — a song
  15. face — part of the head
  16. pop — to visit
  17. spell — magic
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. track — a path
  21. face — to confront
  22. spell — letters
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. track — to keep track

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