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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The light ________________ burned out.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. snap — to click
  3. land — to come down
  4. face — to confront
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. face — part of the head
  7. game — a match
  8. suit — clothes
  9. suit — in cards
  10. saw — the tool
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. land — ground
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. bulb — for light
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. game — wild animals
  17. bulb — for light
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. face — to point toward
  21. land — a country
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. suit — to fit

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