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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 120 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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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. band — a ring
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. band — a music group
  7. face — to confront
  8. snap — to click
  9. pop — soda
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. pop — music
  12. face — to point toward
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. mark — a grade
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. face — part of the head
  18. deal — to handle
  19. mark — a trace
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. bat — the animal
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. pop — to visit

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