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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. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. tear — from crying
  2. mug — a cup
  3. mark — a grade
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. face — to point toward
  6. face — part of the head
  7. tear — to rip
  8. snap — to click
  9. game — wild animals
  10. face — to confront
  11. rash — hasty
  12. rash — a series
  13. spring — a coil
  14. spring — of water
  15. mug — to rob
  16. game — a match
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. mug — a face
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. spring — the season
  23. mark — a trace
  24. tear — from crying

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