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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. face — to confront
  4. can — to be able to
  5. face — to point toward
  6. can — a tin
  7. can — a tin
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. kid — to tease
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. rush — hurry
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. face — part of the head
  20. sharp — clever
  21. kid — child
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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