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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. ball — a great time
  5. face — to point toward
  6. face — part of the head
  7. ball — a dance
  8. track — a path
  9. face — to confront
  10. sharp — clever
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. track — a song
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. kick — in football
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. snap — to click
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. plane — a tool
  22. branch — a division
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. track — to keep track

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