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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. cap — a hat
  6. face — to point toward
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. face — part of the head
  9. bass — low music
  10. face — to confront
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. stem — to come from
  15. mark — a grade
  16. cap — a lid
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. bass — the fish
  20. mark — a trace
  21. cap — of ice
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. bowl — a football final

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