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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 124 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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. snap — to click
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. bark — to shout
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. face — to confront
  9. race — the arms race
  10. race — humankind
  11. face — to point toward
  12. wake — a trail
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. race — a contest
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. tube — a container
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. tube — the underground

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