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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. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wake — a trail
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. row — a line
  10. lean — to bend
  11. face — to point toward
  12. lean — thin
  13. mate — a friend
  14. mate — to breed
  15. face — to confront
  16. pitch — completely
  17. row — to paddle
  18. mate — a partner
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. snap — to click
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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