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

Word bank: saw · snap · racket · wind · face · fall · hide · toast

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. face — part of the head
  5. wind — moving air
  6. fall — to drop
  7. snap — to speak sharply
  8. snap — to click
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. saw — the tool
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. face — to confront
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. face — to point toward
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. saw — the tool
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. fall — the season
  23. wind — moving air
  24. fall — to drop

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