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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 116 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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. rock — a stone
  6. pit — a hole
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. rock — music
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. face — part of the head
  12. net — in sport
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. net — after costs
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. net — for catching
  17. face — to point toward
  18. face — to confront
  19. game — a match
  20. pit — in a race
  21. snap — to click
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. pound — a weight
  24. pound — for dogs

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