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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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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: pass · wind · cold · stick · face · snap · racket · mouse

  1. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. The water is too ________________.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — part of the head
  2. wind — moving air
  3. pass — a permit
  4. wind — moving air
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. face — to confront
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. snap — to click
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. face — to point toward
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. cold — an illness
  20. cold — not warm
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. racket — a loud noise

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