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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. snap — to click
  3. kick — in football
  4. suit — to fit
  5. suit — in cards
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. club — for golf
  8. fall — to drop
  9. club — a group
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. cap — of ice
  12. cap — a lid
  13. face — to confront
  14. suit — clothes
  15. track — a song
  16. track — to keep track
  17. club — for dancing
  18. fall — to drop
  19. face — part of the head
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. fall — the season
  23. cap — a hat
  24. face — to point toward

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