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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Did you ________________ the button?
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. kick — in football
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. spell — letters
  5. spell — magic
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. press — to push
  8. press — a publisher
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. face — to confront
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. key — in music
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. key — for a lock
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. spell — a short time
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. press — newspapers
  19. face — to point toward
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. face — part of the head
  22. key — the most important part
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. kick — a thrill

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