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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  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. snap — to speak sharply
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. lie — to recline
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. present — a gift
  7. squash — the sport
  8. field — farmland
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. present — there
  11. face — to point toward
  12. face — to confront
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. field — for sport
  15. face — part of the head
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. field — a subject
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. snap — to click
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. present — the time now
  23. squash — to crush
  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