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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. face — part of the head
  3. file — a line of people
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. face — to point toward
  6. lean — to bend
  7. drill — a practice
  8. season — of the year
  9. lean — thin
  10. rest — what's left
  11. drill — army training
  12. drill — the tool
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. rest — what's left
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rush — hurry
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. season — in sport
  20. file — a tool
  21. rest — a break
  22. face — to confront
  23. file — a document
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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