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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. squash — the sport
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. wake — a trail
  6. squash — to crush
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. mine — for digging
  9. snap — to click
  10. craft — boats
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. face — to confront
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. face — to point toward
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. row — a line
  18. craft — a skill
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. row — to paddle
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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