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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. snap — to click
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. sharp — clever
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bore — to drill
  9. present — there
  10. mate — a friend
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. mate — a partner
  14. bore — to tire
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. face — part of the head
  18. rock — music
  19. rock — a stone
  20. present — a gift
  21. mate — to breed
  22. face — to point toward
  23. face — to confront
  24. present — the time now

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