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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. can — a tin
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. net — after costs
  6. land — to come down
  7. snap — to click
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. face — to confront
  10. face — part of the head
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. face — to point toward
  14. drill — the tool
  15. drill — a practice
  16. land — a country
  17. net — in sport
  18. can — to be able to
  19. drill — army training
  20. land — ground
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. net — for catching
  24. can — a tin

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