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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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. dip — to dunk
  3. face — part of the head
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. march — music
  6. march — the month
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. dip — to sink
  9. face — to confront
  10. kid — to tease
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. root — the cause
  13. root — of a word
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. snap — to click
  16. root — of a plant
  17. march — the month
  18. foot — a measure
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. kid — child
  21. face — to point toward
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. dip — a sauce

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