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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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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: face · hand · snap · sharp · roll · wake · staff · toast

  1. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. staff — employees
  3. roll — a cake
  4. staff — employees
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. face — to confront
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. snap — to click
  9. toast — bread
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. sharp — clever
  12. face — to point toward
  13. hand — help
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. staff — a stick
  20. face — part of the head
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. wake — a trail
  23. hand — in cards
  24. roll — a list

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