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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. mark — a grade
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. game — a match
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. object — a thing
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. face — to point toward
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. face — to confront
  12. mark — a trace
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. ground — the earth
  15. object — to protest
  16. game — wild animals
  17. face — part of the head
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. kick — in football
  20. object — an aim
  21. ground — a position
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. snap — to click
  24. ground — crushed

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