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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. fork — in a road
  4. pop — soda
  5. face — to confront
  6. snap — to click
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. cell — in biology
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. pass — a permit
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. pop — to visit
  19. cell — a phone
  20. face — to point toward
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. pop — music
  24. face — part of the head

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