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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. cap — of ice
  3. rash — hasty
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. rash — a series
  6. face — to confront
  7. cap — a hat
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. cap — a lid
  13. deal — to handle
  14. face — to point toward
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. snap — to click
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. vault — a safe
  22. face — part of the head
  23. deal — a big deal
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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