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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. snap — to click
  3. land — ground
  4. face — to point toward
  5. mug — a face
  6. land — to come down
  7. face — part of the head
  8. rock — a stone
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. face — to confront
  11. tube — a container
  12. tube — the underground
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. mug — a cup
  15. mug — to rob
  16. drill — army training
  17. craft — boats
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. rock — music
  20. drill — the tool
  21. craft — a skill
  22. land — a country
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. drill — a practice

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