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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. toast — the most admired
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. ground — crushed
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. ground — the earth
  7. ground — a position
  8. face — part of the head
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. chest — of your body
  13. fall — the season
  14. fall — to drop
  15. snap — to click
  16. chest — of your body
  17. stem — to come from
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. toast — bread
  20. face — to confront
  21. face — to point toward
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. chest — a box

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