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

Word bank: row · snap · mouse · file · face · saw · deal · craft

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. face — to point toward
  3. saw — the tool
  4. snap — to snap out of it
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. row — a line
  7. file — a document
  8. face — to confront
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. saw — the tool
  11. snap — to click
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. craft — boats
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. file — a tool
  17. file — a line of people
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. face — part of the head
  20. craft — a skill
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. deal — to handle
  24. row — to paddle

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