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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. field — farmland
  4. face — part of the head
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. field — a subject
  7. snap — to click
  8. face — to confront
  9. field — for sport
  10. can — a tin
  11. bat — the animal
  12. staff — employees
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. plane — a tool
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. staff — employees
  19. can — a tin
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. can — to be able to
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. staff — a stick

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