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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. snap — to click
  3. face — to confront
  4. pound — a weight
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. staff — employees
  7. face — to point toward
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. face — part of the head
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. track — a path
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. cell — in biology
  19. staff — a stick
  20. staff — employees
  21. lash — a whip stroke
  22. foot — a measure
  23. cell — a phone
  24. track — to keep track

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