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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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: fork · face · hand · track · mug · snap · plane · saw

  1. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. mug — to rob
  5. face — to confront
  6. hand — in cards
  7. saw — the tool
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. snap — to click
  11. track — a song
  12. hand — help
  13. face — part of the head
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. mug — a face
  16. fork — in a road
  17. face — to point toward
  18. plane — a tool
  19. mug — a cup
  20. saw — the tool
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. track — a path
  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