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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. date — the fruit
  4. face — to point toward
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. wake — a trail
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. face — part of the head
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. face — to confront
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. kick — in football
  20. mark — a grade
  21. mark — a trace
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. snap — to click

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