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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. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. face — to confront
  3. present — there
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. kick — in football
  13. face — to point toward
  14. bank — of a river
  15. snap — to click
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. present — the time now
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. wake — a trail
  21. bank — for money
  22. present — a gift
  23. bank — for money
  24. kick — with a leg

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