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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. face — part of the head
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. clip — a video
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. clip — to cut
  9. current — of water
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. clip — for paper
  12. lie — to recline
  13. stand — to bear
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. rash — a series
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. rash — hasty
  21. current — electric
  22. current — happening now
  23. face — to confront
  24. face — to point toward

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