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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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. nail — on a finger
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. bass — the fish
  5. rule — a law
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. press — newspapers
  8. press — a publisher
  9. face — to confront
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. saw — the tool
  12. bass — low music
  13. snap — to click
  14. saw — the tool
  15. face — to point toward
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. rule — government
  21. shower — to wash
  22. shower — rain
  23. face — part of the head
  24. press — to push

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