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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 120 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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. pop — music
  3. rush — hurry
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. mark — a trace
  6. bat — the animal
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. snap — to click
  9. pop — soda
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. face — to confront
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. face — to point toward
  17. pop — to visit
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. lean — thin
  22. lean — to bend
  23. face — part of the head
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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