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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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. field — for sport
  3. fall — to drop
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. fall — the season
  6. face — part of the head
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. field — a subject
  9. craft — boats
  10. chest — of your body
  11. chest — of your body
  12. pop — music
  13. snap — to click
  14. chest — a box
  15. craft — a skill
  16. field — farmland
  17. pop — soda
  18. safe — a strongbox
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. pop — to visit
  21. face — to point toward
  22. face — to confront
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. fall — to drop

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