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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. tube — the underground
  6. bat — the animal
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. face — to point toward
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. tube — a container
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. snap — to click
  14. face — to confront
  15. face — part of the head
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. mark — a trace
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. mark — a grade
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. leaves — to go away

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