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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. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to click
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. key — the most important part
  4. bear — the animal
  5. chest — of your body
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. foot — a measure
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. key — for a lock
  11. suit — to fit
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. key — in music
  14. suit — in cards
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. suit — clothes
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. bear — the animal
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. chest — of your body
  24. chest — a box

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