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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. face — to confront
  3. mark — a grade
  4. last — finally
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. race — a contest
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. last — to go on
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bound — certain
  15. face — to point toward
  16. race — humankind
  17. face — part of the head
  18. last — final
  19. race — the arms race
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. bound — obliged
  23. mark — a trace
  24. bowl — to roll

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