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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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. snap — to speak sharply
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. sharp — clever
  9. face — to point toward
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. present — a gift
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. present — the time now
  14. mine — for digging
  15. face — part of the head
  16. deal — to handle
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. snap — to click
  19. present — there
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. pound — a weight
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. face — to confront

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