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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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. face — to confront
  4. chest — of your body
  5. face — part of the head
  6. file — a document
  7. face — to point toward
  8. file — a tool
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. pop — music
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. pass — a permit
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. current — electric
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. current — of water
  18. snap — to click
  19. chest — a box
  20. pop — soda
  21. chest — of your body
  22. current — happening now
  23. pop — to visit
  24. file — a line of people

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