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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. ball — a dance
  3. drill — a practice
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. drill — army training
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. face — to confront
  9. can — a tin
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. face — part of the head
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. mark — a trace
  14. drill — the tool
  15. can — to be able to
  16. mark — a grade
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. ball — a great time
  19. dip — to sink
  20. can — a tin
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. face — to point toward
  24. dip — a sauce

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