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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. rest — what's left
  5. snap — to click
  6. face — to point toward
  7. firm — steady
  8. pop — music
  9. rest — what's left
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. bank — for money
  12. firm — a company
  13. game — a match
  14. firm — decided
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. face — to confront
  17. bank — for money
  18. game — wild animals
  19. face — part of the head
  20. bank — of a river
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. pop — soda
  23. rest — a break
  24. game — a kind of play

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