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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 116 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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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. snap — to speak sharply
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. deal — to handle
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. fall — the season
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. face — to point toward
  10. face — part of the head
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. face — to confront
  14. bat — the animal
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. fall — to drop
  19. wake — a trail
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. fall — to drop
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. snap — to click

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