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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. bat — the animal
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. toast — bread
  5. suit — in cards
  6. key — the most important part
  7. suit — clothes
  8. snap — to click
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. saw — the tool
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. cell — in biology
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. suit — to fit
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. key — for a lock
  18. cell — a phone
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. saw — the tool
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. roll — a cake
  24. key — in music

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