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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. face — part of the head
  4. face — to point toward
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. rock — music
  7. foot — a measure
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. land — ground
  10. roll — a list
  11. wake — a trail
  12. face — to confront
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. wind — moving air
  16. land — a country
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. wind — moving air
  19. rock — a stone
  20. land — to come down
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. roll — a cake
  24. snap — to click

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