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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — a measure
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. spell — a short time
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. face — part of the head
  8. spell — magic
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. face — to confront
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bat — the animal
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. snap — to click
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. face — to point toward
  23. spell — letters
  24. foot — the bottom

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