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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. snap — to click
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. spell — magic
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. file — a line of people
  8. object — a thing
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. object — an aim
  12. spell — letters
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. wake — a trail
  15. band — a music group
  16. object — to protest
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. face — to point toward
  19. file — a tool
  20. face — part of the head
  21. spell — a short time
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. face — to confront
  24. band — a ring

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