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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to point toward
  2. cell — a phone
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. bulb — of a plant
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. snap — to click
  8. race — humankind
  9. bulb — for light
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. pit — a hole
  12. race — a contest
  13. face — to confront
  14. pit — in a race
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. cell — in biology
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. face — part of the head
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. bulb — for light
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. race — the arms race

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