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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. fine — all right
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. face — to point toward
  5. face — to confront
  6. face — part of the head
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. snap — to click
  10. present — the time now
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. mark — a trace
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. present — there
  16. bulb — for light
  17. tube — the underground
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. mark — a grade
  20. present — a gift
  21. fine — high quality
  22. bulb — for light
  23. tube — a container
  24. straw — dry grass

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