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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. bat — the animal
  4. drill — the tool
  5. row — to paddle
  6. face — part of the head
  7. snap — to click
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. pit — a hole
  10. drill — army training
  11. saw — the tool
  12. row — a line
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. saw — the tool
  15. bank — of a river
  16. bank — for money
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. bank — for money
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. face — to point toward
  21. pit — in a race
  22. face — to confront
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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