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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. deal — to handle
  3. saw — the tool
  4. snap — to click
  5. cell — a phone
  6. mug — a cup
  7. mug — a face
  8. board — a committee
  9. face — part of the head
  10. mug — to rob
  11. lean — to bend
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. cell — in biology
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. face — to point toward
  16. lean — to rest against
  17. saw — the tool
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. lean — thin
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. board — to get on
  23. face — to confront
  24. deal — an agreement

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