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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. tube — a container
  3. squash — to crush
  4. ground — a position
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. tube — in a tire
  7. file — a tool
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. tube — the underground
  10. kick — in football
  11. face — part of the head
  12. file — a document
  13. ground — crushed
  14. ground — the earth
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. fork — in a road
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. file — a line of people
  21. squash — the sport
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. face — to confront
  24. snap — to click

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